Ten Hours of Paradise: Stony Brook Highlights John Milton for National Poetry Month

The Milton Marathon at Stony Brook University is a unique literary tradition in which students, faculty and staff gather for a continuous, marathon-style reading of Paradise Lost, the epic poem by John Milton.

This year's presentation will take place on Wednesday, April 22 between 9 am and 7 pm in front of Stony Brook's Humanities building. The event, which coincides with National Poetry Month, spans hours of dramatic recitation, celebrating the richness of Milton's poetry while building a sense of community among participants. Equal parts endurance and appreciation, the Milton Marathon transforms a classic work of literature into a shared, immersive experience.

"It's a poem for all time," said Douglas Pfeiffer, associate professor, Department of English, who is leading the event. "It addresses questions of free will, which we might generally construct as questions about freedom. But maybe the best reason to be there is just that this is some of the greatest verse ever written in English and it's a great story."

The 10,565-line poem was first published in 1667. Despite being written more than 350 years ago, Pfeiffer said Paradise Lost is particularly relevant to things that are going on in the world today.

"It's a poem where Milton tries to explain the source of evil in the world, and those questions are always relevant," he said.

Pfeiffer added that in an increasingly digital age, it's more important than ever to bring the human element into people's lives and experiences.

"No matter how I approach Paradise Lost, or how students approach it, we all have it in front of us and it's kind of this radical meeting ground where everyone can participate in their own way," he said. "That's one of the things I love about working on literature. I may have more informed ideas about this poem than someone who's never read it before, but that doesn't mean that their engagement with it is lesser. It just means it's different. And that's what I love about these public-facing events. Anyone can just walk by and participate, and that's valuable."

- Robert Emproto