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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... poetic than an imitation of Horace or Juvenal . Nor did one become more poetic by joining a school . As much as Johnson admires the best of Spenser and Milton , the effort to write in their style strikes him as hopelessly anachronistic ...
... poet's whole way of life . Poetic poses constantly suffer this fate in the Lives . The juxtaposi- tion of life and art reveals how often poems dress up a sordid truth , how close they come to lies . Moreover , most biographies collabo ...
... poetic careers , 279 , 282 poetic diction , 91-92 , 100 , 133 , 277 poetic justice , 176 poetry : characteristics of Johnson's , 91-97 ; Johnson's place in history of , 97-102 ; force of , 208-209 poets , as custodians of language , 132 ...
Contents
the Western Islands of Scotland | 234 |
The Lives of the English Poets | 259 |
Johnsons Endings | 295 |
Copyright | |
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