Samuel Johnson: World Civilization - Annotated Bibliography Example

Samuel Johnson World Civilization Annotated Bibliography Synopsis The biography of Samuel Johnson proffer the extraordinary journey of a famous man’s life as an English author, a literary scholar, a profound critic of various creative works of his time. His masterpiece, the historical and critical dictionary, catapulted Johnson to fame. However, the various illnesses, physical tics and gesticulations garnered various feedbacks from critics of his time. Pearce averred that “without these illness Dr Johnson’s remarkable literary achievements, the great dictionary, his philosophical deliberations and his conversations may never have happened; and Boswell, the author of the greatest of biographies would have been unknown.” (1994, 4) His life’s journey through his humble beginnings and insurmountable challenges enabled him to reap astonishing success. Through the following studies and scholarly works of various professionals in diverse fields of endeavor, the life of Samuel Johnson, is hereby revisited. Bate, Walter Jackson. Samuel Johnson, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. The author presented one of the revealing incidents in Johnson’s life specifically during his later years as he experienced various illnesses. He consulted Samuel Swynfen, his godfather, about his health through a letter written in Latin. Due to Johnson’s eloquence and extraordinary acuteness, Swynfen showed his letter to others which angered Johnson and vowed never to forgive Swynfen’s act. Boswell, James and Hibbert, Christopher. The Life of Samuel Johnson. Penguin Classics. 1979. Print. Boswell and Hibbert wrote one of the best biography ever written about Samuel Johnson. As a personal and close friend of Johnson, Boswell was considered the most appropriate person to write Johnson’s biography which depicted the most accurate personification of his life. Critics hailed this book as beyond any other product of the eighteenth century (Carlyle). The contents and the style make it a good material for literary review. Clifford, James Lowry and Greene, Donald Johnson. Samuel Johnson; a survey and bibliography of critical studies. University of Minnesota Press. 1970. Print. The authors presented various surveys of studies written by Johnson including collected works, anthologies, biographies, personal relationships, and various illustrations, among others. The book also revealed general comments about Johnson as a critic, biographer and conversationalist in comparison with other artists. Johnson’s personal views on diverse topics were also proffered for the readers’ perusal. De Mafia, Robert. The Life of Samuel Johnson: a critical biography. Wiley-Blackwell. 1994. Print. This book is a revision of the author’s previous book written about Johnson entitled “The Life of Samuel Johnson”. De Mafia revealed Johnson’s extraordinary Intelligence exhibiting literary prowess through the inspiration of his hero, Joseph Scaliger. The challenging circumstances that initially deterred Johnson from reaching his dreams was explicitly revealed. Encyclopedia Britannica. Samuel Johnson. Encyclopedia Brittanica. 2009. Print. The discourse identified Johnson as an English man of Letters and one of the outstanding figures of 18th century England. Known for his byname as Dr. Johnson, the article started by giving a brief overview and progressed in Johnson’s early life, early publications, maturity and recognition, his last years, and his achievements and reputation, among others. Illustrated World Encyclopedia. Johnson, Samuel. Illustrated World Encyclopedia, Inc. 1973.p.2924.Print. A general informative piece of Johnson was presented by presenting him as an English writer who lived about two hundred years ago was being born in 1709. The article also mentioned the biography written by Boswell of Johnson’s life which was more read than most of Johnson’s own works. Johnson, Samuel. Life of Addison, 1672–1719. n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. In this biography, Johnson went into intricate details of the life of Joseph Addison. This is usually used in English classes as an example of classical essays. He must have went into extensive details to conclude that “whoever wishes to attain an English style, familiar but not coarse, and elegant but not ostentatious, must give his days and nights to the volumes of Addison.” Johnson, Samuel. The Life of Pope. n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. This is one of the written works of Samuel Johnson of the life of Alexander Pope. He wrote 446 paragraphs of this biographical discourse and exemplified his creativeness and genuine literary talent. He went into details of Pope’s lives, works, and prominent figures with whom he was associated during this time. Keynes, Milo. The miserable health of Dr Samuel Johnson. Journal Of Medical Biography. 1995; 3:161-169. Keynes presented his theoretical discourse on the health condition of Johnson. From among the illnesses noted were his ocular problems exacerbated by problems in his lungs (emphysema), among others. This was verified in another article written by Keynes on “Sam Johnson’s lung not in Baille’s Atlas”. Keynes, Milo. “Sam Johnson’s lung not in Baille’s Atlas.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. April 1996. Vol. 89: 237-238. The author averred that a report from James Wilson, Johnson’s surgeon and anatomist, revealed that his “lungs did not show the changes of bronchietasis, but were emphysematous and lacking in elasticity…” This confirmed that cause of Johnson’s death as emphysema, among all his other illnesses. Kiefer, James E. Samuel Johnson, Writer 12 December 1784. Biographical Sketches of Memorable Christians of the Past. 29 Aug. 1999. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. The author acknowledged that Samuel Johnson is the most quoted English writer next only to William Shakespeare. His essay progressed into detailing Johnson’s early life with provisions for Johnson’s recording of prayers in his diary. Martin, Peter. Samuel Johnson: A Biography. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 2008. Print. Peter proffered the life of one of the most quoted and carefully observed authors of contemporary time. This book documented Johnson’s journey through life from his beginnings to adulthood – creatively depicting exemplary illustrations of Johnson are various stages in life. Interesting personal traits and characteristics depicted through his ups and downs in life give credence to the development of Johnson’s image of an artistically unique literary genius. McHenry, Lawrence C. “Samuel Johnsons tics and gesticulations.” Journal of the History and Medicine and Allied Sciences. 1967 Apr; 22(2):152-68. Print. The author was acknowledged to be the first to diagnose Johnson as exhibiting symptoms of an ailment known as Tourette syndrome, displaying physical tics, involuntary vocalization and compulsive behavior. Parke, Catherine Neal. Biography: writing lives. Routledge. 2002. Print. Parke is known as a biography scholar who devoted a Chapter of this book to a discourse about Samuel Johnson’s life. Her expertise on writing about lives of famous people makes her an authoritative source for the subject. She depicted Johnson as a biographer, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and the creator of a historical and critical dictionary, among others. Pearce, J.M.S. “Doctor Samuel Johnson: the Great Convulsionary a victim of Gilles de la Tourettes syndrome.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. July 1994. 87: 396–399. Pearce relayed through this journal the afflictions exhibited by Johnson through scholarly essays. One of which was Lord Brain’s description of Johnson as the ‘Great Convulsionary’. The author noted that “without this illness Dr Johnsons remarkable literary achievements, the great dictionary, his philosophical deliberations and his conversations may never have happened; and Boswell, the author of the greatest of biographies would have been unknown.” (qtd. p.4) Sacks, Oliver. “Tourette’s Syndrome and Creativity: Exploiting the Ticcy Witticisms and Witty Ticcicisms.” British Medical Journal.19-26 December 1992. 305 (6868): 1515–16. According to neurologist Oliver Sacks, "the case for Samuel Johnson having the syndrome, though [...] circumstantial, is extremely strong and, to my mind, entirely convincing". He continues by generally describing the "enormous spontaneity, antics, and lightning quick wit" that featured prominently in Johnsons life. The author’s medical explanations of Johnson’s illness provided detailed discourse of this disease. The Columbia Encyclopedia. Samuel Johnson. Sixth Edition.2008. Print. The article presented Johnson (1709 – 84) as an English author, a literary scholar and critic of his time. It presented Johnson’s early life and works and ended with a bibliography. The Oxford Companion to British History. Johnson, Samuel. John Cannon. Oxford University Press. 2002. Print. Johnson was revealed as a son of a bookseller in Lichfield (Staffs.) who had a hard life during his younger years. His work on the dictionary during 1746 55 enabled his to rise above poverty and brought the masterpiece to the world. The Samuel Johnson Encyclopedia. Samuel Johnson. Greenwood Press. 1996. Print. Pat Rodgers compiled all essentials works and facts pertinent to Samuel Johnson. It delved into the details of Johnson’s life from his humble beginnings to the events to lead to his greatness. It also provided insights on Johnson’s links to prominent figures of his time. The works and writing were also identified in the most accessible way. Wilson, Graham A. and Ravin, James G. “Blinking Sam: The Ocular Afflictions of Dr. Samuel Johnson.” Arch Opthalmol. 2004;122:1370-1374. The author presented in this discourse that Johnson’s first ocular problem may have been ophthalmia neonatorum. Although, the author disclosed that Johnson admitted that his only illnesses are asthma and dropsy. Works Cited Bate, Walter Jackson. Samuel Johnson, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Boswell, James and Hibbert, Christopher. The Life of Samuel Johnson. Penguin Classics. 1979. Print. Clifford, James Lowry and Greene, Donald Johnson. Samuel Johnson; a survey and bibliography of critical studies. University of Minnesota Press. 1970. Print. De Mafia, Robert. The Life of Samuel Johnson: a critical biography. Wiley-Blackwell. 1994. Print. Encyclopedia Britannica. Samuel Johnson. Encyclopedia Brittanica. 2009. Print. Illustrated World Encyclopedia. Johnson,Samuel. Illustrated World Encyclopedia, Inc. 1973.p.2924.Print. Johnson, Samuel. Life of Addison, 1672–1719. n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. Johnson, Samuel. The Life of Pope. n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. Keynes, Milo. The miserable health of Dr Samuel Johnson. Journal Of Medical Biography. 1995;3:161-169. Keynes, Milo. “Sam Johnson’s lung not in Baille’s Atlas.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. April 1996. Vol. 89: 237-238. Kiefer, James E. Samuel Johnson, Writer 12 December 1784. Biographical Sketches of Memorable Christians of the Past. 29 Aug. 1999. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. Martin, Peter. Samuel Johnson: A Biography. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 2008. Print. McHenry, Lawrence C. “Samuel Johnsons tics and gesticulations.” Journal of the History and Medicine and Allied Sciences. 1967 Apr;22(2):152-68. Print. Parke, Catherine Neal. Biography: writing lives. Routledge. 2002. Print. Pearce, J.M.S. “Doctor Samuel Johnson: the Great Convulsionary a victim of Gilles de la Tourettes syndrome.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. July 1994. 87: 396–399. Sacks, Oliver. “Tourette’s Syndrome and Creativity: Exploiting the Ticcy Witticisms and Witty Ticcicisms.” British Medical Journal.19-26 December 1992. 305 (6868): 1515–16. The Columbia Encyclopedia. Samuel Johnson. Sixth Edition.2008. Print. The Oxford Companion to British History. Johnson, Samuel. John Cannon. Oxford University Press. 2002. Print. The Samuel Johnson Encyclopedia. Samuel Johnson. Greenwood Press. 1996. Print. Wilson, Graham A. and Ravin, James G. “Blinking Sam: The Ocular Afflictions of Dr. Samuel Johnson.” Arch Opthalmol. 2004;122:1370-1374. Read More