Intro
So Stanley Fish wrote a book called Surprised by Sin: The Reader in Paradise Lost. He set out to explore how readers respond to John Milton's epic about the creation of humans—and their fall from grace.
One of the big characters in the poem is Satan. Yup, we're talking about that dude with horns, tails, and a pitchfork—the embodiment of evil. Well, sort of. The thing is, Milton's Satan is actually a pretty interesting guy. Stanley Fish spends a lot of time talking about Satan in Surprised by Sin because—get this—he says that when we read Paradise Lost, we just can't help liking Satan.
Let's look at the passage below. It's a scene depicting Satan—disguised as a snake in the Garden of Eden—seducing Eve and making her eat an apple from the Forbidden Tree. You know, the tree that God told Adam and Eve never to eat from.
Quote
As when of old som Orator renound
In Athens or free Rome, where Eloquence
Flourishd, since mute, to som great cause addrest,
Stood in himself collected, while each part,
Motion, each act won audience ere the tongue,
Somtimes in highth began, as no delay
Of Preface brooking through his Zeal of Right.
So standing, moving, or to highth upgrown
The Tempter all impassiond thus began.
O Sacred, Wise, and Wisdom-giving Plant,
Mother of Science, Now I feel thy Power
Within me cleere, not onely to discerne
Things in thir Causes, but to trace the wayes
Of highest Agents, deemd however wise.
Queen of this Universe, doe not believe
Those rigid threats of Death; ye shall not Die:
How should ye? by the Fruit? it gives you Life
To Knowledge, By the Threatner, look on mee,
Mee who have touch'd and tasted, yet both live,
And life more perfet have attaind then Fate
Meant mee, by ventring higher then my Lot.
Shall that be shut to Man, which to the Beast
Is open?
Analysis
Satan is pretty impressive in this scene. The narrator compares him to an eloquent orator from ancient times. He's "impassiond" when he speaks, he's eloquent, and he's convincing. We see this when he starts speaking: first he addresses the fruit that he's just eaten from (he's taken a bite from the apple to prove to Eve that hey, it's A-Okay to take a bite, even if God says no). And then he turns to Eve, telling her "doe not believe/ Those rigid threats of Death"—because the apple won't bring her death; it will just bring her knowledge.
Satan's language is beautiful, and his arguments are pretty convincing. We mean, hey, he basically up and says to Eve, "Look at me! I'm just a snake, but now that I've eaten from the fruit I can speak! Imagine how much more wonderful you'll be when you take a bite." We're buying it.
Now, of course, Satan is totally lying to Eve: he's tempting her. But we readers kinda sorta can't help admiring him even so. He's clever. He's got the gift of the gab. Not only does he win Eve over, he also wins us over as we read. We're impressed by his eloquence.
Is that what Milton wanted? Maybe, maybe not. Given that Milton was a devout Christian dude, we're pretty sure he wanted us to come out on the side of God and JC. We're probably supposed to get why Satan is so tempting, but are we supposed to like him?
According to Fish, what matters is what readers of the poem actually experience as they read it. Whether Milton intended it or not, readers tend to like Satan. The power of the poem, therefore, is largely built on our response to Satan.