Samuel Johnson and His Times

Syllabus

Samuel Johnson dominated literary London like few writers before or since; rising from a humble provincial background and years spent in poverty, he slowly emerged as the "Grand Cham" at a particularly critical moment in literary history. Though a classical scholar himself, Johnson was influential in raising the prestige of English literature, a feat which he accomplished less through his original writings (important as they were) than through his Dictionary, Shakespeare edition, and Lives of the Poets. Johnson was equally at home in the hitherto distinct worlds of scholarship and commercial publishing; by bringing them together in these three vast projects he brought literary studies into the modern era. In his lifetime and since, Johnson was respected as a wise and good man, a stylish writer and an oracle of wisdom. He was also a deeply troubled man, difficult to live with, depressed, frightened, and given to outbursts of pessimism and aggression. When Boswell, Johnson's friend and biographer, brought to light this darker, private side of his character, the paradoxical effect was to raise Johnson's stature even more.

In this seminar we will be equally concerned with Johnson's writings, his life, and his times; to the extent possible we will use each to illuminate the others. Johnson was a many-sided figure who had important things to say on many topics that continue to be of interest today. Members of the seminar are encouraged to bring their own interests to the table, developing a particular thread as we read through the major writings that can then be developed into a seminar. Over the centuries more has been written about Johnson than just about in figure in English literature save Shakespeare, so there will be no lack of things to write and talk about. Rather than look at Johnson through a particular critical lens, I hope to develop a many-sided conversation based on our own experiences of life and literature. To help get this going, in addition to Johnson's works we will read Walter Jackson Bate's critical biography (highly regarded as a literary work in its own right) and critical essays by several Johnson scholars.

Texts are available at the bookstore or are on reserve. Evaluation will be based on class participation (25%), a project or research paper (25%), mid-term examination (20%), and final examination (30%).

Schedule

Week 1 (August 25): Introduction, Boswell, London Journal.

Week 2 (September 1): Boswell, London Journal; Clark, Johnson, pp. 1-57; London: A Poem in Imitation of Juvenal's Third Satire (1738).

Week 3 (September 8): Bate, Samuel Johnson: Part I.; Johnson: Life of Richard Savage (1744).

Week 4 (September 15): Bate: Part II; Johnson, Vanity of Human Wishes: The Tenth Satire of Juvenal imitated (1749).

Week 5 (September 22): Bate: Part III; Johnson, Rambler selections.

Week 6 (September 29): Bate: Part IV. (first half); Johnson, Rambler selections.

Week 7 (October 6): Bate: Part IV. (second half); Idler, Adventurer selections

Week 8 (October 13): Kernan, Printing, 48-90; Johnson, An Account of the Harleian Miscellany, etc. (1743).

Week 9 (October 20): A Dictionary of the English Language (1755) (selections)

Week 10 (October 27): Johnson, Preface to Shakespeare (1765)

Week 11 (November 3): Bonnell, Disreputable Trade, chapter IV; Johnson: Lives of the Poets: Cowley, Milton, Addison (1779-81).

Week 12 (November 10): Bonnell, Disreputable Trade, chapter V; Johnson: Lives of the Poets: Pope, Collins, Gray (1781).

Week 13 (November 17): The History of Rasselas (1759).

(Thanksgiving Holiday November 22-30)

Week 14 (December 1): Journey to the Western Islands (1775).

Week 15 (December 8): Journey to the Western Islands; Carlyle, Johnson in Heroes and Hero-Worship.

Final Examination: 12 December 7:00 PM