Samuel Johnson: The Life of an AuthorHarvard University Press, 2009 M07 1 - 384 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
Results 1-5 of 65
... Becoming an Author : London ; Life of Savage 48 4. Preferment's Gate : The Vanity of Human Wishes 86 5. Man of Letters : A Dictionary of the English Language 103 6. The Living World : The Rambler 145 7. Reclaiming Imagination : Rasselas ...
... become so acute , in times of national crisis , that even the touch of privilege distinguishing authors from writers has seemed evidence of an authoritarian strain . The doubts have not melted away . Some critics now seem to assume that ...
... becoming an author is such an uncertain and controver- sial calling or choice of life ; sometimes the goal veers away just as the runner begins to approach it . The same reason may clarify why issues of authorship can be so interesting ...
... become so famous ? Only two people could have been responsible , at least in the beginning . First , Johnson " entertaind " some friends with it . 6 He had an interest in letting the public know that he was repudiating the puff , which ...
... become both rich and independent by learning how to manage the literary market . Booksellers , not patrons , commissioned the Dictionary . When John- son first fell into his " Dream of hope , " he had already been making his living as a ...
Contents
11 | |
34 | |
48 | |
Preferments Gate The Vanity of Human Wishes | 86 |
Man of Letters A Dictionary of the English Language | 103 |
The Living World The Rambler | 145 |
Reclaiming Imagination Rasselas | 173 |
The Theater of Mind The Plays of William Shakespeare | 198 |
Journeying Westward Political Writings A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland | 234 |
Touching the Shore The Lives of the English Poets | 259 |
The Life to Come Johnsons Endings | 295 |
Abbreviation | 307 |
Notes | 309 |
Index | 363 |