Given her derogatory remarks about Eve, "our first frail mother," and her accusation that Milton must have meant to "deprive" women of their souls (VRW), Mary Wollstonecrafts attitude towards her literary forefather, John Milton, is often assumed to be antagonistic. However, Wollstonecrafts relationship with the Miltonic tradition of her time is anything but straightforward. Perceived as biblically inspired and culturally authoritative, Milton was, she knew, the likely underpinning for almost every conduct manual, philosophical work, or sermon that addressed the subjects of good, evil, or...