Samuel JohnsonHarvard University Press, 1998 - 372 pages He was a servant to the public, a writer for hire. He was a hero, an author adding to the glory of his nation. But can a writer be both hack and hero? The career of Samuel Johnson, recounted here by Lawrence Lipking, proves that the two can be one. And it further proves, in its enduring interest for readers, that academic fashions today may be a bit hasty in pronouncing the "death of the author." |
From inside the book
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... Pope : " By perusing the works of Dryden he discovered the most perfect fabrick of English verse , and habituated himself to that only which he found the best . " 39 Nor was it only versification that had grown better . Since " poetry ...
... Pope may feign " insensibility to censure and criticism " ( 3 : 209 ) . Johnson always pursues the motive that ordinary people might share . Nor does he keep his distance from such motives . From the beginning , readers have sensed that ...
... Pope may feign " insensibility to censure and criticism " ( 3 : 209 ) . Johnson always pursues the motive that ordinary people might share . Nor does he keep his distance from such motives . From the beginning , readers have sensed that ...
Contents
the Western Islands of Scotland | 234 |
The Lives of the English Poets | 259 |
Johnsons Endings | 295 |
Copyright | |
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