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The Life of Samuel Johnson Everyman Library James Boswell Claude Rawson Books

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The Life of Samuel Johnson Everyman Library James Boswell Claude Rawson Books

Properly reviewing James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson at this point is like adding a lit match to a raging bonfire (if you'll pardon the Johnsonian analogy), so I will refrain from doing so. Please allow me to share a few thoughts, however.

First of all, this book is greatly entertaining and even hilarious at times. I found myself chuckling every few pages about Johnson's pointed remarks on whatever subject at hand, or his jabs at the poor Scots. To say that Johnson was an outspoken character would be the understatement of the year, and this account certainly doesn't sugarcoat his more aggressive side.

On the other hand, a picture emerges of a man I found very endearing. Johnson was the poster child of typical literary genius: Very generous and amicable but also socially awkward. He grew up in ill health, suffered from serious bouts of depression throughout his life, and admitted to having difficulty controlling his appetite for food and alcohol. He was terrified of death, not because of the prospect of leaving his worldly life, but out of concern that his piety and virtue would be insufficient to avoid Satan's roasting spit in the next.

What impressed me most was Johnson's cultural confidence and pride of his home country and city. While famous for (allegedly) saying that "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel," there is no mistaking the fact that Johnson appreciated all too well the extent to which London was the center of the universe in his day. One can call it "racism" toward the Chinese and others (to use a juvenile anachronism), or one can see the value in a contemporary being so fully aware of his country dominating and spreading a civilization the likes of which had never been seen before in the world. It goes without saying that Johnson would struggle in the modern-day West, what with its eagerness to reverse-propagandize itself and renounce its great history and religious heritage.

While his strict adherence to Anglican theology and dislike of Enlightenment thinkers are a bit too extreme for my taste, Johnson nevertheless won himself a new admirer. I highly recommend this excellent account of this remarkable man.


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The Life of Samuel Johnson Everyman Library James Boswell Claude Rawson Books Reviews

What a great read! This is one of those classics of Western Literature which gets one through dark times. Samuel Johnson was a literary raconteur and noted wit. He came from very inauspicious beginnings and sought to really frame human life in all of its follies and foibles. I was impressed that Boswell saw fit to record the minutiae of his life (worries about money, worries about drinking too much, all the places he lived in London). Boswell really brought Samuel Johnson's larger than life character and private concerns out into the open and (perhaps) immortalized his version for posterity.
Why should you spend the time and money to read this huge biography which is over twelve hundred densely written pages?
1. James Boswell (1740-96) a wealthy Scottish lawyer wrote this immense work which is filled with countless anecdotes about Dr Johnson (1709-84) and his friends making the age in which they lived come alive in the minds of readers. If you want a portrait of eighteenth century Great Britain and the literary scene at that time you can turn to no better tome.
2. The book tells a rags to riches Horatio Alger story of a great literary genius. Johnson was near sighted, heavyset and resembled a bear in his demeanor. He could be rough, coarse, sarcastic and was a master of conversational repartee and bon mots. He was also a devoted Christian believer who could be very kind and loving to family and his wide circle of friends. Johnson was the author of such monumental works as his "Dictionary of the English Language"; "The Vanity of Human Wishes"; "Rasselas" and countless essays culled from the pages of "The Rambler" newspaper and other publications of the day.
3. The book is filled with stories about Johnson's distinguished friends from the world of politics, business, farming and art. He was a close friend of Dr. Oliver Goldsmith the author of "The Vicar of Wakefield" and other works, Joshua Reynolds the famous painter and David Garrick the famous Shakespearean actor.
4. The book has wonderful advice on how to live a Christian life of morality and honor. Johnson was a good though far from perfect man. He did not drink but loved lavish meals and luxury. Johnson was faithful to his wife but adored the company of lovely women. He was a strong monarchist who had a famous meeting with King George III. Johnson was opposed to the American Revolution. Unlike his friend Boswell he was a strong enemy towards the slave trade.. He professed a dislike of Scotland but had many Scottish friends including James Boswell his biographer. Johnson had a strong fear of death. Dr. Johnson was plagued by ill health throughout his long and productive life of literary endeavor. Johnson wished he had become a lawyer but was one of England's greatest authors of all time,
5. The biography gives us a travelogue account of many of the places visited by Dr. Johnson . Johnson and his friends the Thrales visited the France of Louis XVI and he and Boswell traveled to the Hebrides islands..
Caveats? This is not an easy book to read! There are long footnotes on many pages; Latin and Greek quotations in the original tongues and some pages are downright dull! The work contains many letters from Johnson, Boswell and others which provide fascinating reading. Some readers will have trouble with the formal language of the work filled with classical quotes from ancient authors and referring to current plays and political controversies. This reviewer found this material to be worthy of being read.
6, The book is a treasure trove of pungent and succinct quotations being used with profit by writers and orators. The book has good through countless editions since first published in the 1790s.
The book is a reading essential for anyone who enjoys the story of a wonderful man and his rise to the top. James Boswell is the greatest of all biographers in the English tongue. This book is an essential classic even in our twenty first century world. Essential and enjoyable! Highly recommended!
Properly reviewing James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson at this point is like adding a lit match to a raging bonfire (if you'll pardon the Johnsonian analogy), so I will refrain from doing so. Please allow me to share a few thoughts, however.

First of all, this book is greatly entertaining and even hilarious at times. I found myself chuckling every few pages about Johnson's pointed remarks on whatever subject at hand, or his jabs at the poor Scots. To say that Johnson was an outspoken character would be the understatement of the year, and this account certainly doesn't sugarcoat his more aggressive side.

On the other hand, a picture emerges of a man I found very endearing. Johnson was the poster child of typical literary genius Very generous and amicable but also socially awkward. He grew up in ill health, suffered from serious bouts of depression throughout his life, and admitted to having difficulty controlling his appetite for food and alcohol. He was terrified of death, not because of the prospect of leaving his worldly life, but out of concern that his piety and virtue would be insufficient to avoid Satan's roasting spit in the next.

What impressed me most was Johnson's cultural confidence and pride of his home country and city. While famous for (allegedly) saying that "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel," there is no mistaking the fact that Johnson appreciated all too well the extent to which London was the center of the universe in his day. One can call it "racism" toward the Chinese and others (to use a juvenile anachronism), or one can see the value in a contemporary being so fully aware of his country dominating and spreading a civilization the likes of which had never been seen before in the world. It goes without saying that Johnson would struggle in the modern-day West, what with its eagerness to reverse-propagandize itself and renounce its great history and religious heritage.

While his strict adherence to Anglican theology and dislike of Enlightenment thinkers are a bit too extreme for my taste, Johnson nevertheless won himself a new admirer. I highly recommend this excellent account of this remarkable man.