Samuel Johnson
A brief essay on the life and genius of the prolific eighteenth-century English author, followed by a selection of his poetry, letters, and a novella.
Under the pen name “Dr. Johnson,” English writer Samuel Johnson was a biographer, essayist, lexicographer, literary critic, moralist, playwright, poet, and travel writer. The son of a bookseller, he made so many contributions to the English language that he is regarded as
...Above all, Samuel Johnson's Rasselas (1759) is concerned with the nature of happiness. Rasselas and his companions remove themselves from the pleasure of the 'happy valley' so that they can make their 'choice of life'. In the course of their travels they come across scholars, astronomers, shepherds, hermits and poets, explore their way of life. Rasselas finds that complete happiness is elusive and, in the words of his mentor Imlac, 'while
...