Paradise Lost vs Poems: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: English poetry, Poetry
Paradise Lost
“The world was all before them, where to choose Their place of rest, and Providence their guide : They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow, Through Eden took their solitary way.”
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John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted…
Poems
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This is a poem book. Aurelius prudentius clemens, the greatest of the Latin Christian poets, was born in the year 348 during the consulship of Salia and Philip. The place of his birth is not known with certainty. Three…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Paradise Lost is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 11 for Poems.
- Paradise Lost has the widest readership — 187740 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Paradise Lost | Poems | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (187740) | 3.7 (23) |
| Hardcover | 5.0 (1) | 4.0 (6) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (315) | — |
Reception
| Paradise Lost | Poems | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 187740 | 23 |
| Editions | 396 | 45 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 397249 | 114 |
| Reading it now | 23997 | 3 |
| Written reviews | 7908 | 5 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1212 | 19870 |
| Pages | 311 | 623 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Paradise Lost or Poems?
Paradise Lost has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Paradise Lost 3.9/5, Poems 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Paradise Lost or Poems?
Paradise Lost is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Paradise Lost (311 pages, ≈ 5 h 46 m); Poems (623 pages, ≈ 11 h 32 m).
Which is harder to read: Paradise Lost or Poems?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Paradise Lost: Demanding; Poems: Demanding.