"Winner of the James Holly Hanford Prize given by the Milton Society of America An exporation into the mind of John Milton that probes deeper than previous biographical studies, John Shawcross's award-winning text examines the psychological underpinnings of Milton's decision to become a poet, the homoerotic dimensions of his personality, and his relationships with his father and mother. John T. Shawcross is professor emeritus of English at the University of Kentucky and the author and editor of many books. See other books in the series Studies in the English Renaissance.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
1 THE ROOTS OF BEING: SOME PROBLEMS IN MILTON'S BIOGRAPHY 1
2 A BIOGRAPHICAL AND LITERARY OVERVIEW TO 1645 16
3 THE LADY OF CHRIST'S 33
4 DECISION TO BECOME A POET 61
5 PREPARATIONS 71
6 THE LEFT HAND AND THE GREAT PURPOSE 93
7 EDUCATION AS MEANS 108
8 COVENANT: SACRED AND PROFANED 128
9 MOVES TOWARD THE GREAT PURPOSE 143
10 A BIOGRAPHICAL AND LITERARY OVERVIEW TO 1674 163
11 INTERFERENCES OF THE SELF 175
12 THE PERSONAL WORLD: MAN AND WOMAN 193
13 FURTHER INTERFERENCES OF THE SELF 213
14 THE POLITICAL DIMENSION 233
15 THE RELIGIOUS PRECEPT 247
16 THE BIBLE 260
17 MILTON AND 1674 272
APPENDIX A: THE COMMONPLACE BOOK 281
APPENDIX B: LANGUAGES IN THE COMMONPLACE BOOK 285
APPENDIX C: DATING OF THE PLANS 289
NOTES 295
INDEX 344