[Milton-L] New to list - Epic Simile question/Paradise Lost

[Tony Demarest]

If we assume that Milton's first model of the simile is Homer, then we may also assume that not only in structure, but also in intent is Milton bearing Homer's influence. When Odysseus drives the olive stake into Polyphemus's eye, Homer tells us via simile that they turned it as if they were drilling a mast hole in a ship's keel- an appropriate simile on the visual level and also on the characterization level- before long, Odysseus will be doing exactly that- building a raft. As he effortlessly strings his bow before the contest, Homer tells us he strung it with ease and then plucked it for tautness, as a rhapsode his lyre. A nod to the profession of poet/singer. When Milton uses a series of similies to emphasize Satan's size, we must react knowingly that there is more to the dictum, "size matters." There is, in his first series, a setting up of the fundamental idea that Satan is an archangel turned arch enemy- and one whose size "resembles" his own nemesis, and will constitute the base idea for ensuing echoes. The richness of possible interpretation is documented by the age of Milton's English opposed to the age of Homer's Greek- an infant dialect at that.  So, a young/new scholar should never be afraid to express an opinion, but, alas or happily, only after paying one's delightful dues of inquiry, inquiry, inquiry.

Tony
________________________________
> Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2008 13:02:02 -0400
> Subject: Re: [Milton-L] New to list - Epic Simile question/Paradise Lost
> From: junkopardner at comcast.net
> To: milton-l at lists.richmond.edu
> 
> And why would people with knowledge of Milton attempt to condescend to me for referring to Satan’s enormous size within the first epic simile by nitpicking another definition of the word enormous? instead of understanding that the way I used the word was correct in referring to Satan being depicted as huge, and moving on to a discussion about the role of Satan’s size in PL.
> 
> And I’m not the kind to get snotty toward people trying to help me, but if you can’t help someone, then you probably shouldn’t chime in just to nitpick at something completely unrelated to the question asked.
> 
> 
> 
> J
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 9/28/08 10:29 AM, "Molly Hand"  wrote:
> 
> Here are a couple of suggestions:
> 
> Don't post a quote from wikipedia as though it were an authoritative source.
> 
> As Christine points out, Milton-L is comprised of people who love Milton, many of whom are leading scholars in Milton studies, and many of whom DO like writing theses, and do so for a living, unlike yourself.  This is a valuable resource.   Don't be snotty with the folks who are taking the time to respond to your queries and who are being generous enough to try to help you.  They could just say, go do your own research and make your mistakes (and maybe should say, given your recent posts).
> 
> Molly
> 
> 
> 
> On Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 2:26 AM, jonnyangel  wrote:
> "Etymological dictionaries are the product of research in historical linguistics. For a large number of words in any language, the etymology will be uncertain, disputed, or simply unknown. In such cases, depending on the space available, an etymological dictionary will present various suggestions and perhaps make a judgment on their likelihood, and provide references to a full discussion in specialist literature."
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymological_dictionary
> 
> Respectfully submitted,
> Jonathan Colburn, Plumber
> Bedford, In
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 9/27/08 11:39 PM, "susan allison"  wrote:
> 
> 
> Partridge's  Etymological Dictionary offers:
> 
> from norma, a carpenter's square you get ab-norma and e-norma.
> Ab-norma is "away from the square"-- abnormal
> whereas e-norma is "outside" of the square,
> 
> if the carpenter's square is not just measurement but also "code of conduct"
> then Satan not only veers "away" from the code but actually subsumes it, is beyond a code of conduct, hence morally outrageous. Milton pushes the envelope in both directions.
> 
> or so it seems to me.
> 
> respectfully submitted,
> Susan Allison, Poet
> Middletown, Ct
> 
> On Sep 27, 2008, at 11:20 PM, jonnyangel wrote:
> 
> I have quite a few, some even from the 20th century.
> 
> Sounds like you might be in need of some newer ones...
> 
> J
> 
> 
> On 9/27/08 11:15 PM, "gilliaca at jmu.edu"  wrote:
> 
> 
> .>I'm aware of the various definitions of the word, .
> 
> Actually, it does not, ever, refer to size. Get a good dictionary.
> C
> Cynthia A. Gilliatt
> English Department, JMU, ret.
> JMU Safe Zones supporter
> "You have made God in your own image when God hates the same people you hate."
> Fr. John Weston
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