I. Introduction

Nowadays, the question for me is whether Paradise Lost can speak to modern man. Hermeneutics is most often equated with biblical or textual exegesis but its implications for criticism both include and extend beyond the filed of linguistics. Hermeneutics also enables the reader to engage in dialogue with words which articulate his understanding of what the text means. Hermeneutics helps the reader to rehear the poem’s meaning, which may transcend time and place. Thus, insight into hermeneutics and hermeneutic theory is a necessary prelude to an explication of the meaning and significance of Paradise Lost.

This chapter is designed to explicate some essential aspects of hermeneutics, which include its origin, a brief historical survey of major hermeneutic theorists, the hermeneutical circle, its applications and metacriticism.

Not many scholars in Taiwan have been concentrating research into hermeneutics. In addition, when surveying classical hermeneutics, I find that the hermeneutical circle has laid a solid foundation for applying hermeneutical theory to the reading of texts, both biblical and secular. Here, I will explicate a variety of the definitions of the hermeneutical circle as introduced by literary theorists. Besides, I will make some judgments on these. However, it should be noted that the hermeneutical theorists present few real cases illustrating the application of hermeneutics to the reading of texts, religious or general. In consideration of this weakness of past studies, I will explicate a few concrete, applicable examples to help readers gain a better understanding of both the literary theoretical philosophy itself and its practical applications. Finally, I am interested in explicating the conception of metacriticism, which will be illustrated in the critical reading of Song of Solomon in the Old Testament. Hopefully, readers can acquire a whole picture of hermeneutics, which, to be sure, will be very helpful for a contemporary reading of Paradise Lost.

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