Opinion

[RaiderWahoo0105]

Milton's work is of a completely different breed and caliber than Brown's.

Mainly, Milton elaborates on a topic not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible or in any sort of sacred texts, i.e. Satan's side of the involvement in the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise/Garden of Eden. He has room of creative license because there is nothing definitive in the matter.
And though I haven't read through the book in complete detail, I'm betting Milton doesn't seek to question the foundation upon with Christianity is built upon. He's created a beatifully written story in which he takes a damned good stab at what a conflict between God, Satan, and Adam and Eve would've been like.

Brown (at one point in time though he has reneged on initial claims) started out by saying the "facts" upon which he bases his book are true. These are facts which are EASILY disclaimed by any sort of Biblical and non-Biblical historians (I've seen a thread on this forum about TLC or whatever dispelling these "facts", I saw the special too it's good).

Brown is effectively just a pop-culture author. Entertaining, I'll give him that. Serious, credible work of literature, hell no.

Milton = well thought classic

[SWVA-Football]

Roy, you have just received a special message from Lord Vader..

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[gcdevil22]

i hear chubz about to chime in

[imported_MoonlightGraham]

Yes thank you Mega for this great question.
I love this story as well.

In Milton's work, Lucifer/Satan is the tragic hero throughout this literary masterpeice. He has a major tragic flaw as do tragic heros/byronic heros....his flaw is pride. After Lucifer was denied a promotion in Heaven, a promotin he felt he well deserved (I believe Michael got the promotion) he goes crazy and trys to take over. Getting thousands of angels to join him. Of course God kicks his butt out of Heaven and sends him to a deserted pit where he will remain forever with his angels. It is here that Milton steals a quote from Shakespears Hamlet [ QUOTE ]
There is no good or bad but thinking make it so

[/ QUOTE ] when Satan is talking to Beezelub and says [ QUOTE ]
"a man's mind can make a Heaven out of Hell or a Hell out of Heaven."

[/ QUOTE ] Which of course Satan knows is untrue, but he keeps lying to all of those around him trying to convince himself and others getting kicked out of Heaven wasn't that bad. [ QUOTE ]
"It is better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heaven."

[/ QUOTE ]
yadda yadda yadda, he takes the shape of a seperant and continues lying when he approaches Eve in the garden of paradise.

Milton does a GREAT job of not only scriptures from Revelations and using them in his 'opening fight scene' but also making the reader feel sorry for Lucifer/Satan. Because as you read the text you can actually feel that Satan is sorry for what he did, but at the same time he respects the fact that he stood up to God, because God is all knowing, God knew Lucifer was going to revolt and did nothing to stop him in, so Lucifer feels God wanted him out of Heaven----he uses this as an excuse on why he did what he did, in some asinine reasoning he repeats though the text in various parables.

Like I said Milton does a great job of making the reader subconsciously feel sorry for the most evil creature in the universe by simply asking why did God do this to one of his most faithful angels?

Yet critics today don't have the balls to judge a classic in the same court room as they would judge the Da Vinci Code.

[imported_MoonlightGraham]

St. Paul, who writes to the Corinthians, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor 11:1)-also writes, "Now to the unmarried and to widows I say: it is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do, but if they cannot exercise self-control they should marry, for it is better to marry than to be on fire" (Cor 7-8:9).

[imported_juggernaut28]

Satan(Lucifer) was the most beautiful angel in heaven. He was very anointed and gifted with music as his voice led worship in heaven. He let jealousy into his heart and therefore he caused many other angels to follow him. They followed him straight out of heaven and therefore they were known as the fallen angels. The bible talks about one day when judgement is cast down that many will look upon the one (Satan) that caused them to fall from grace. There are alot more scriptures in Corinthians that talks alot about the church that goes astray and lives a lifestyle of sin but still saying they are of the same faith as Paul. Paul warns these churches to not be decieved. He talks about the road of the rightousness is narrow and straight and that the gates of hell have widen.

[imported_MoonlightGraham]

wasn't Paul the one in the Bible who believed that Jesus was going to return to Earth within like 5-10 years after he died and had risen.

I like his teachings because not only does he preach to go to church, but he also preaches to do good deeds and help others.

[the_alienist]

Great post.........Milton was a genius and it's extremely sad that very few people have fully read some/any of his works.
[ QUOTE ]
Yet critics today don't have the balls to judge a classic in the same court room as they would judge the Da Vinci Code.

[/ QUOTE ]
I agree with you to a certain extent, but you also have to consider the true quality of the DVC. Disregarding the subject matter, D.Brown's style isn't that great and his latest book Angels & Demons is a struggle to read. If it were not for the controversy surrounding the subject matter, his prose would receded into oblivion. But that's just my personal opinion. I enjoyed the DVC, but on the basis of mechanics, Brown is severly lacking.