Transformational Qualities of Agricultural Labour in Milton’s Paradise Lost
Abstract
This essay explores the connection between Eden’s ecological evolution and Adam and Eve’s stewardship of paradise as a necessary function of the pair’s spiritual journey in Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667). In this world, Eden is an ever-growing garden that requires diligent care, rather than a perfected and stable utopia. Considering agricultural labour as one of God’s Socratic teaching methods alongside the metaphorical dimensions of ecological regeneration in a postlapsarian world, the essay reveals how Adam and Eve strengthen their relationship with God through nature. Milton reminds readers about the importance of environmental stewardship as he spotlights the transcendental link between humans and the natural world.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Maraya Cooper
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