Samuel JohnsonHe 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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... called King Arthur . Such distinctions matter greatly to Johnson the critic , who holds that " the highest praise of genius is original invention " and that Paradise Lost " is not the great- est of heroick poems , only because it is not ...
... called to account , had no illusions about his abil- ity to challenge Pope's verse . That way to authorship seemed closed to him . One likely solution might be to select a less intimidating model . As W. H. Auden explained his choice of ...
... called on him to solicit " a concise account of the life of each authour " for a new standard edition of The English Poets , and a bargain was struck at once . This was good publishing practice . In a fiercely competitive market , a ...
Contents
the Western Islands of Scotland | 234 |
The Lives of the English Poets | 259 |
Johnsons Endings | 295 |
Copyright | |
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