The Life of Samuel Johnson

James Boswell’s The Life of Samuel Johnson (1791) is often considered to be one of the finest pieces of biographical writing in the English language. Samuel Johnson was an English poet, essayist, and lexicographer who produced a pioneering and influential Dictionary of the English Language. However, he is less well-known today for his writings than as the biographical subject for Boswell, a lawyer from Scotland who first met Johnson in 1763. During their 21-year friendship, Boswell recorded many of Johnson’s sayings and activities using a self-invented form of shorthand. He eventually worked these notes into the massive biography which he published seven years after Johnson’s death.

Later research has shown that Boswell took liberties with some of Johnson’s quotations and censored important incidents from his biography. However, the level of detail included in the work makes it a valuable resource on Johnson and the 18th century.

The Life takes the shape of a loosely structured narrative which might be compared to a scrapbook or collage of reminiscences. Using a mixture of narration, stretches of dialogue, and letters, Boswell portrays Johnson as a literary man and witty conversationalist in London society. About a third of the way through the book, Boswell enters Johnson’s life and takes an active role in the events depicted.