Abstract

Scholars have expressed interest in ambiguous or discordant elements in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, but little attention has been devoted to the presence of these elements at the narrative level. Moreover, the attention previously given has largely been directed at resolving any apparent transgressions and showing the epic to be a unified didactic whole. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the complexities of the narrative structure of Paradise Lost. I argue the transgressive narrative elements in the epic, which persistently resist understanding, are strategically employed and/or allowed in order to foster an acceptance of truth as inherently fragmented. I begin by outlining Milton’s definition of truth as presented in Areopagitica, which is used as a framework to understand the narrative ambiguities and contradictions. These transgressive components are subsequently analyzed across three dimensions of narrative: plot, voice, and temporality. Drawing on concepts from unnatural narrative theory, these analyses evidence how the transgressive features in the epic’s narrative often disrupt poetic stability, defy resolution, and deny readers a stable point of reference. Competing narratives of the same events, for example, present different and incompatible versions of the same event, and the reader does not know which, if any, is the accurate version. I conclude by considering the potential interpretive or reading strategies available to aid readers in maneuvering the narrative contradictions.