Samuel Johnson Flashcards
When was Samuel Johnson born?
b.1709 d.1784
What was his first publication?
The translation of Alexander Pope’s Messiah into Latin, appeared in a poetry collection called ‘A Miscellany of Poems’ in 1731.
What is Johnson’s historical tragedy Irene about?
About the love of Sultan Mohamed for Irene, a christian slave girl captured in Constantinople.
What magazine was Johnson closely associated with?
The Gentleman’s Magazine. His involvement began in 1730, and he contributed poetry, prose and biographies to the magazine.
What is Johnson’s first major poem?
London, written in 1738. It is a loose imitation of Juvenal’s Third Satire.
Who is the protagonist of London?
Thales, who moves to Cambria (Wales) to escape from the problems of London.
“Who is so patient of the foolish [wicked] city, so iron-willed, as to contain himself?” Which work is this line from?
The epigraph of London, quoted lines from Juvenal.
“Slow rises worth, by poverty depressed.” What work is this line from?
From London, written in capital letters.
What is the title of the series of speeches from the parliament written by Johnson based on the MP’s political positions?
Debates in the Senate of Magna Lilliputia in The Gentleman’s Magazine from 1741 to 1744.
What is his first significant Shakespeare criticism?
Miscellaneous Observations on the Tragedy of Macbeth (1745).
What was the first work published with his name?
The Vanity of Human Wishes (1749), a poem about the futility of the human pursuit of greatness and happiness. Imitation of the tenth satire of Juvenal.
Which poem did T.S. Eliot and Walter Scott consider Johnson’s greatest?
The Vanity of Human Wishes (1749).
Name of the magazine run by Samuel Johnson?
The Rambler (!750-52)
In which periodical did Johnson collaborate with John Hawkesworth?
The Adventurer (from 1753), an imitation of The Rambler.
What was Johnson’s significant two-volume publication in 1755?
A Dictionary of the English Language.
