The Acrostic Paradise Lost by John Milton and Terrance Lindall

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capturing all around it other significant moments or scenes in the epic related to that
important central one.
As with the illustrators James Thornhill and Louis Chéron in the 1720 edition by Jacob
Tonson and edited by Thomas Tickell, Terrance Lindall draws upon the use by Thornihill
and Chéron of the historiated or illustrated initial along with their use of head- and tailpiece
illustrations or vignettes – this latter translated to the marginal illustrations or
vignettes in Lindall, all to underscore the main theme of the central illustration of a given
Book. As the manner of illustration has changed dramatically in the 18 th century from
that of the 1688 illustrated edition, so too has the manner of the great contemporary artist
changed in his illustrations of Paradise Lost from those in the several centuries before
him.
On through other 18 th -century greats, Francis Hayman, whose illustrations seem almost
marvelous embellishments for the first variorum edition of Paradise Lost in 1749, which
focuses attention primarily on the copious notes of that great edition, although Hayman’s
illustrations became the most repeated illustrations in reduced form in editions of
Paradise Lost for the next 40 or more decades, through to Francis Burney at the end of
the century, in whose illustrations can be seen most powerfully the influence of the
classics upon artistic interpretation of significant moments, scenes or figures, as with
Satan appearing as an Achilles figure in Book I as he rallies his troops.
At the end of the 18 th century, too, artists like Henry Richter began to shed the trappings
of the 18 th century in his 1794 illustrations of Milton’s great epic, and his illustrations
give a look that bodes seriously of things to come.
With John Martin, Terrance Lindall has much in common: Martin presents his
illustrations of Paradise Lost in various sizes, from his rare folio parts, to his even rarer
elephant folio, to his large quarto and also his octavo editions, both in two versions, with
“proof plates” and without, including sale of individual illustration plates along the way,
between 1825 (when the parts began to be distributed) on through to the quarto and
octavo editions, published in 1826. But not only did Martin and Lindall share a sense of
entrepreneurship in passing along their perceptions of key moments and scenes in
Paradise Lost, but they shared a sense of searching for a new style in bringing Milton to
life anew: Martin via the mezzotint, and Lindall as surrealist provocateur; Martin with a
brilliant effect of black and white in each of his illustrations, Lindall with the use of
brilliant colors which bring vibrancy and life to his illustrations. Each in his own way
moved Milton and the understanding of Milton light years ahead from where they were in
their time.
So, too, William Blake, whose perception of poignant and meaningful moments in
Paradise Lost is not only uncanny, but unique, and not because he felt a kinship with
Milton that no one else has ever emphasized having (he believed that he was Milton and