The maladies of James Boswell, advocate

Literary criticism, like legal judgement, will ultimately rest upon the written word. However, since the context of that written word is conditioned by the author's physician and mental health - both of which can materially affect the content and style of the writing - these areas are worthy of serious enquiry. Where details of a great writer's health are unavailable - as with Shakespeare - speculative and often unsatisfactory conjectures have to account for variations in the quality and quantity of output. Where a disease process is known and independently attested, such as Milton's blindness, criticism of the works produced is materially enhanced. Whereas the volume of a writer's output wil be influenced by longevity and the physical ability to dictate or to lift a pen, the content and style will necessarily be influenced by his or her mental state, conditioning as it does the personal and societal environment of creativity.