The Creation, c. 1896-1902, by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902), gouache on board, 8 1/8 x 9 11/16 in. (20.7 x 24.6 cm), at the Jewish Museum, New York. (Image courtesy of wikipedia.org.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Mary Fuller
MIT Course Number
21L.705
As Taught In
Spring 2009
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
What does the Genesis story of creation and temptation tell us about gender, about heterosexuality, and about the origins of evil? What is the nature of God, and how can we account for that nature in a cosmos where evil exists? When is rebellion justified, and when is authority legitimate? These are some of the key questions that engaged the poet John Milton, and that continue to engage readers of his work.
Other Versions
Other OCW Versions
OCW has published multiple versions of this subject. 
- 21L.705 Major Authors: Old English and Beowulf (Spring 2014)
- 21L.705 Major Authors: America's Literary Scientists (Fall 2010)
- 21L.705 Major Authors: John Milton (Spring 2008)
- 21L.705 Major Authors: After the Masterpiece: Novels by Melville, Twain, Faulkner, and Morrison (Fall 2006)
- 21L.705 Masterworks in American Short Fiction (Fall 2005)
- 21L.705 Major Authors: Melville and Morrison (Fall 2003)
- 21L.705 Major Authors: Oscar Wilde and the '90's (Spring 2003)