U7 L9 Samuel Johnson Flashcards
What occupations did Samuel Johnson take up?
- essayist
- poet
- lexicographer
- moralist
What did James Boswell write?
biography of JOhnson
When was Johnson born?
1709
Johnson was only able to attend how many months at Oxford University?
14
How much older was Johnson’s wife?
20 years older
At 64, Johnson consented to take a walking tour of what Islands? With whom?
- Hebrides Islands west of Scotland
- James Boswell
When did Johnson die?
1784
How was Johnson’s life not easy?
- poverty
- depression
- Wife’s passing
In 1737, Johnson started writing periodicals for what Magazine?
The Gentleman’s Magazine
In 1750-1752, what essays did he write? What themes and subjects did they have?
- The Rambler
- moral themes and literary subjects
In 1758-1760, What essays did he write? How many?
- The Idler
- nearly 100
What newspaper were the Idler Essays published in?
The Universal Chronicle
What form of writing did Johnson dislike?
stiff poetic diction
What did Johnson insist that literature present?
- truth
- believable
- realistic
- interesting
Was Johnson intensely moral?
yes
Several of Johnson’s Rambler essays have what kinds of themes?
religious
Was Johnson a whig or a tory?
Tory
In 1755, Johnson published what longer work?
A Dictionary of the English Language
What did A Dictionary of the English Language have?
- 2 volume
- fixed 18 cent Eng spelling
- quotations as illustrations
Why was Johnson’s dictionary popular?
helped middle class in word use and spelling
In 1779-1781, what was the collection of writers’ biographies did he publish? How many did he write?
- The Lives of English Poets
- 52
What Club was Johnson a part of? What did they do?
- Literary club
- met once a week
- discuss issues
What was the poem John published in 1749?
The Vanity of Human Wishes
What did ‘The Vanity of Human Wishes’ have the same theme as?
Johnson’s novel-like work, Rasselas
