Logic of the Fall

Logic of the Fall is the first book to examine the formal logical properties of central speeches and dialogues in Paradise Lost, according to John Milton’s formulae, principles, and concerns in his own Art of Logic. In so doing, this book offers unconventional but cogent readings of this poem’s central issues: the respective roles and responsibilities of Adam and Eve; the method of Satan’s engineering of the Fall (and on who falls first); the causative properties of the Fall and the issue of culpability; and Milton’s ultimate legacy for his readership. The Fall of humankind in Paradise Lost is not due to passion or will over reason, but rather to «pure reason» over «right reason.»

The Author: Richard Arnold, Professor and Chair of English at University of Lethbridge, Canada, received his Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he held the prestigious United Kingdom Commonwealth Scholarship. He is the author of English Hymns of the 18th Century (1991), The English Hymn: Studies in a Genre (1995), and English Hymns of the 19th Century (2004), as well as numerous articles on eighteenth-century literature, nineteenth-century studies, editorial theory, cultural studies, and Medieval and Canadian literature. The recipient of distinguished fellowships, a medal for distinguished teaching, and appointments to review and adjudicate for major publishers worldwide, Dr. Arnold has researched and taught in Canada, Great Britain, and Southeast Asia.