The Life of Samuel Johnson

Boswell returns to London in March 1772 and visits Johnson in his study. Boswell is defending a schoolmaster accused of beating his pupils and consults Johnson about the case. Johnson defends corporal punishment in general, because “children, being not reasonable, can be governed only by fear” (487). Instilling fear in this way is the duty of a parent, and a schoolmaster acts in loco parentis:

Corporal punishment only becomes cruel when it is excessive. Johnson, and Boswell, believe that the schoolmaster was not cruel or excessive. Johnson’s conviction about the necessity of corporal punishment in school reflects his own school experiences as recounted in the early chapters of the Life.

As previously mentioned, legal discussions are a notable sidelight in the Life; Johnson frequently shows detailed opinions and knowledge of British law, and Boswell reproduces a number of his written opinions. Through these passages, Boswell suggests the wide-ranging nature of Johnson’s thought and his mastery of a number of subjects through self-study.

In April 1773, Boswell is accepted into the Literary Club, to his relief and satisfaction. His first attendance at a meeting is on April 30, when he is introduced to Burke, Goldsmith, and the others. As is clear from Boswell’s narration, he is now able to take full part in the discussions of the illustrious members of the club; his acceptance marks a turning point in his social life and career. Boswell’s critics point to passages like this one when they accuse Boswell of being a social climber and of cultivating Johnson specifically for self-advancement—in his eagerness to be considered one of the London elite, Boswell comes across as grasping.

Johnson and Boswell fulfill their long-hoped-for journey in Scotland from August to November 1773. This trip is one of the notable episodes of the Life, and Boswell remarks that “I believe ninety-four days were never passed by any man in a more vigorous exertion” (552). However, Boswell does not describe the trip in great detail here; instead, it is the subject of two separate works: Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides by Boswell and Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland by Johnson.

While Johnson stays with Boswell’s family in Scotland, friction arises between Johnson and Margaret Boswell on account of Johnson’s manners and habits. Throughout the rest of the book, Johnson will allude in his letters to Boswell to the fact that Margaret does not like him and will desire to make amends for this. Eventually, Margaret will be reconciled to Johnson when he shows concern about her illnesses.

In January 1775, Johnson uses his influence to promote the works of the author Charlotte Lennox. He writes “proposals” for the publication of her works, which he hopes will financially benefit her and her children. Although perhaps not directly intended by Boswell, this episode shows Johnson’s willingness to help a female author at a time when they had far fewer opportunities than male authors.

That same month, Johnson and Boswell correspond about the American independence movement. They will take directly opposite stances on this issue: Johnson is violently opposed to American independence, whereas Boswell believes that “our government has been precipitant and severe in the resolutions taken against the Bostonians” (575). Boswell acknowledges that he does not like the New Englanders; yet he is able to separate his feelings from principle and admit that “nations, or bodies of men, should, as well as individuals, have a fair trial” (575). Boswell and Johnson’s disagreement on this issue will cause tension later on.

During this time, Johnson takes a part in the literary controversy surrounding the Scottish poet James MacPherson and his alleged discovery of Gaelic epic poems about the hero Ossian. Johnson (correctly) believes that MacPherson wrote the poems himself and tried to pass them off as ancient discoveries. The Ossian poems controversy will continue into the 19th century, and the poems themselves will play a major role in the Romantic movement and the growth of nationalism in Europe.

In 1775, Johnson publishes political pamphlets about the American situation and other topics. These pamphlets are attacked as immoderate propaganda on behalf of the British government; one critic says Johnson is “prostituting his talents” (593). Boswell tells us that Johnson is somewhat shaken by these attacks (594). This episode shows that many feel Johnson’s political writing lacks the finesse of his other work. Indeed, Johnson is not typically valued today as a political thinker, and his conservatism on the American question tends to be counted against him.

Easter Sunday, and the Christian holy days leading up to it, are often important in the narrative. Boswell is usually with Johnson on these days, and they engage in serious conversation often about religion as well as attending church together; this is illustrated, for example, on Pages 623-624. In their milieu, this holiday has greater importance than Christmas, which is rarely mentioned.

Page 624 offers a textbook example of Boswell’s narrative method in the portions of the Life in which he appears. He first introduces the scene as a diary entry and sets up the day’s conversation topic between himself and Johnson. Then he immediately switches to dialog format, much like a play script, as he reproduces the conversation. This format offers a more direct and vivid sense of animated conversation than a more novelistic approach might achieve.