The Letters of Samuel Johnson (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Samuel Johnson
- First Published: 1992
- Type of Work: Letters
- Time of Work: 1731-1781
- Principal Characters: Samuel Johnson, James Boswell, Bennet Langton, Lucy Porter, Frances Reynolds, John Taylor, Hester Thrale
- Genres: Realism, Nonfiction, Letters
- Subjects: Friendship, Writing, Poverty or poor people, Eighteenth century, Altruism
Thomas Mann defined an author as a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. Despite his prodigious output, Samuel Johnson fits Mann’s description. On May 1, 1783, he remarked to James Boswell, “It has been said, there is pleasure in writing.…I allow you may have pleasure from writing, after it is over, if you have written well; but you don’t go willingly to it again.” He had expressed similar sentiments in Adventurer 138: “Composition is, for the most part, an effort of slow diligence and steady perseverance, to which the mind is dragged...
[The entire page is 2363 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
See Also
