The Cambridge Companion to Samuel Johnson (Cambridge Companions to Literature) [Paperback]

Greg Clingham (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Cambridge Companions to Literature | Publication Date: October 28, 1997

This Companion provides a unique introduction and guide to the works and life of one of the key figures in English literary history. The source of endless familiar aphorisms, the compiler of the first great dictionary in English, the greatest of essayists, and one of the most distinctive characters and conversationalists in our literary culture, Johnson is here surveyed in his entirety. Chapters on the major works, his life, conversation, letters and critical reception appear alongside fresh thematic essays, a chronology and a guide to further reading.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The Cambridge Companion to Samuel Johnson is not only an outstanding critical introduction to 'The Great Cham of Literature', it provides relevant background to the world in which he lived. There are notes appended to chapters and portraits and other illustrations, notably by Hogarth.' Library Association Record

'The Cambridge Companion to Samuel Johnson more than fulfils the goals which its sets for itself: it provides a comprehensive, interesting, and reliable introduction to Johnsonian studies.' The New Rambler

'The Cambridge Companion to Samuel Johnson is not only an outstanding critical introduction to 'The Great Cham of Literature', it provides relevant background to the world in which he lived. There are notes appended to chapters and portraits and other illustrations, notably by Hogarth.' Library Association Record

Book Description

This Companion provides a unique introduction and guide to the works and life of one of the key figures in English literary history. The source of endless familiar aphorisms, the compiler of the first great dictionary in English, the greatest of essayists, and one of the most distinctive characters and conversationalists in our literary culture, Johnson is here surveyed in his entirety. Chapters on the major works, his life, conversation, letters and critical reception feature alongside fresh thematic essays, a chronology and guide to further reading.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521556252
• ISBN-13: 978-0521556255
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,962,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Greg Clingham is Professor of English and Director of the University Press at Bucknell University, Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses on literature 1660-1860, and on a wide range of texts in their relations with law, history, memory, translation, landscape, the environment, and the exotic. He is the author of Johnson, Writing, and Memory (Cambridge, 2002) and also of many other books and essays on Johnson, Boswell, Dryden, and critical issues in historiography and translation. For Greg's web site, go to www.gregclingham.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very fine introduction to the works and themes of Johnson., November 4, 1998

By 

Frank Lynch "frank_lynch" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cambridge Companion to Samuel Johnson (Cambridge Companions to Literature) (Paperback)

The challenge of segregating Johnson's works into their themes and forms must have been daunting, but Greg Clingham and the several writers who contributed to this edition have done a marvelous job of providing an introduction to Johnson and his works. Chapters examine his poetry, his essays, his Dictionary, his attitudes towards religion, and women... This book will be appreciated by beginning and intermediate Johnsonians, and should be read.