Public and private morality as focus in writings of Samuel Johnson
Given Samuel Johnson’s lifelong concern with problems of human morality, it is not surprising—in an age when such writers as Defoe, Swift, Pope, Goldsmith, and Burke were highly politically conscious—to find Johnson frequently turning to matters of both public and private morality.
Donald J. Greene presents a collection of Johnson’s writings with a political emphasis: his early anti-Walpolian pamphlets Marmor Norfolciense and A Complete Vindication of the Licensers of the Stage, and various journalistic squibs; an abridgment of the debate on the offer of the Crown to Oliver Cromwell; the articles on the Seven Years’ War and related matters, such as the notorious trial and execution of Admiral Byng; and the four pamphlets of the 1770s—The False Alarm, Thoughts on . . . Falkland’s Islands, The Patriot, and Taxation No Tyranny. An introduction addresses Johnson’s politics, and full annotation provides historical context.
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) was a poet, essayist, biographer, and editor. Donald J. Greene is Leo S. Bing Professor of English at the University of Southern California.
“The critical apparatus of the Political Writings is magnificent: the notes tell us what we would want to know, there is a chronological table of political events alongside Johnson’s contributions to current affairs journalism, and there are detailed introductions to each piece. . . . It is Greene’s explanatory comments on the political background which are masterly. . . . Some of [Johnson’s] most exciting and stimulating writing is to be found in this volume, and it is well served by Professor Greene’s editing.”—Johnson Society
“Donald Greene has put all eighteenth-century historians in his debt.”—J. H. Plumb, Eighteenth Century Studies
“An outstanding piece of editing and annotation. This is not simply another volume in a series. No other volume . . . has such full explanations of individual short pieces, such fascinating explications of historical points, or such challenging summations. Greene’s importance is not that of making available a mass of material which has up to this time been little read, but in . . . arguing for a radically new approach to Johnson’s political thought.”—James L. Clifford
Related Books
Sign up to the Yale newsletter for book news, offers, free extracts and more
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.