Samuel Johnson

Introduction

Samuel Johnson, known as Dr Johnson. He was born on September 18, 1709. He is an English writer who made lasting contributions as a playwright, moralist, poet, essayist, biographer, literary, editor, critic, sermonist, and lexicographer. Dr. Johnson was a devoted Tory and a passionate Anglican. He was tall and strong, and others were shocked to meet him because of his mannerisms and attitudes. He died of multiple illnesses on the evening of December 13, 1784, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

As Johnson grew older, he grew to popularity, and after his passing, there was a growing perception that he had influenced literary criticism. Some even went so far as to call him the only truly outstanding critic of English literature. He left a lasting influence on biography and was a major contributor to a dominant 20th-century paradigm of literary philosophy. Even until the Oxford English Dictionary debuted 150 years later, Johnson's Dictionary dominated Modern English.

Personal Information

• Real Name: Samuel Johnson
• Nickname: Dr Johnson
• Date of Birth: 18 September 1709
• Died: 13 December 1784
• Resting Place: Westminster Abbey
• Education: Pembroke College, Oxford
• Political Party: Tory
• Spouse: Elizabeth Porter
• Language: English, Latin
• Notable works:
  
  • A Dictionary of the English Language (1755)
  • A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland (1775)
  • Signature: Not Available

Early Life and Education

On September 18, 1709, Michael Johnson, a bookseller, and Sarah Johnson welcomed Samuel into the world. When his mother was 40, she gave birth to Samuel Johnson at home. George Hector, a man-midwife and surgeon of "great reputation," was called in to help because this was thought to be an exceptionally late pregnancy.

Johnson was an unceasing baby, and his health was a cause for concern. The family called the vicar of St. Mary's to perform a baptism since they were afraid Johnson might not live. Richard Wakefield, a lawyer, coroner, and town clerk in Lichfield, and Samuel Swynfen, a physician and Pembroke College, Oxford, graduate, were chosen as godfathers.

Johnson was put to a wet nurse with Joan Marklew after his condition improved. He eventually developed scrofula, which was dubbed the "King's Evil" at the time since it was believed that only royalty could treat it. The young Johnson was advised to have the "royal touch" by Sir John Floyer, the former physician to King Charles II, and on March 30, 1712, Queen Anne granted it to him. But when the ritual failed to work, an operation was conducted, leaving him with lifelong scars all over his body and face. Johnson received an amulet from Queen Anne on a necklace that he wore for the remainder of his life.

Nathaniel was born when Johnson was three years old. Nathaniel complained to Sarah in a letter that Johnson "would scarcely ever use me with common civility." The birth of Johnson's brother caused their father's debts to mount, making it impossible for the family to continue living at their previous standard.

Early career

About Johnson's life from the end of 1729 until 1731, only a little is known. Presumably, he resided with his parents. During the years of his illness, he went through periods of bodily and emotional misery; his Tourette syndrome-related tics and gesticulations also became more apparent and were frequently observed.

Johnson's father had lost a lot of his prestige in Lichfield and was heavily indebted by 1731. On September 6, 1731, Johnson applied for employment as an usher at Stourbridge Grammar School, but his application was denied because he needed a degree. Around this time, Johnson's father fell unwell and suffered from an "inflammatory fever," which ultimately led to his death in December 1731 when Johnson was twenty-two years old.

Heartbroken by his father's passing, Johnson tried to make up for the time he skipped doing book sales with him. Where his father's stall had been, Johnson stood for "a considerable time bareheaded in the rain." In that location, a statue was placed after the release of Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson.

Johnson finally got a job as an undermaster at a Market Bosworth school owned by Sir Wolstan Dixie, who permitted Johnson to teach without a degree. Johnson enjoyed teaching even though he was treated like a servant and thought it was dull. He left the school following a disagreement with Dixie, and by June 1732, he had made his way back home.

Johnson kept trying to get a job at a school in Lichfield. He visited his friend Edmund Hector, who was staying at the publisher Thomas Warren's house after he was rejected for a position at Ashbourne School. Warren recruited Johnson to assist him in launching his Birmingham Journal at that time. Growing closer to Warren, Johnson suggested translating Jerónimo Lobo's story of the Abyssinians. Johnson felt that a condensed version would be "useful and profitable" after reading the French translations by Abbé Joachim Le Grand.

Rather than writing the work himself, he dictated it to Hector, who carried it to the printer and fixed any mistakes. One year later, Johnson's A Voyage to Abyssinia was released. After his return to Lichfield in February 1734, he started work on an annotated edition of Poliziano's Latin poems and a history of Latin poetry from Petrarch to Poliziano. A proposal was quickly printed, but the project was abandoned due to financial difficulties.

Conclusion

Samuel Johnson, known as "Dr. Johnson". His works as a playwright, moralist, poet, essayist, biographer, literary critic, editor, critic, sermonist, and lexicographer have left a lasting impression on readers. He was born on September 18, 1709. He is an English writer. He was tall and strong, and others were shocked to meet him because of his mannerisms and attitudes.