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A Biographical Sketch of Dr Samuel Johnson

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65:"When Tom Restless rises he goes into a coffee-house, where he creeps so near to men whom he takes to be reasoners, as to hear their discourses and endeavours to remember something which, when it has been strained through Tom's head, is so near to nothing, that what it once was cannot be discovered. This he carries round from friend to friend through a circle of visits, till, hearing what each says upon the question, he becomes able at dinner to say a little himself; and as every great genius relaxes himself among his inferiors, meets with some who wonder how so young a man can talk so wisely." 113:"further process of mind in which the original shuffling of perspectives, already surprising us with elements we had overlooked or forgotten, is joined by considerations drawn from other matrices of experience that can only be described as 'moral,' that is, having to do with the condition of man - with human hopes and fears; with values, purpose or aim; with the shared sense, never forgotten, of the 'doom of man'; and with an unsleeping practical urgency in considering concretely what to do and how to live." 825: 151:" abounded in anecdote, but was no sufficiently attentive to accuracy. I therefore cannot venture to avail myself much of a biographical sketch of Johnson which he published, being one among the various persons ambitious of appending their names to that of my illustrious friend. That sketch is, however, an entertaining little collection of fragments." 105:
He never speaks unless he is spoken to", which Wain considered a "bon mot". Likwise, Walter Jackson Bate relies on how Tyers was able to partly capture Johnson's "bisociative" ability to bring "together two different frames of experience". Tyers, when saying Johnson "said the most common things in the
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The memory of some people, says Mably very lately, 'is their understanding.' This may be thought, by some readers, to be the case in point. Whatever anecdotes were furnished by memory, this pen did not choose to part with to any compiler. His little bit of gold he has worked into as much gold-leaf as
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that I laboured so long to keep secret; & I was so very delicate in trying to conceal his fancied Insanity." Regardless of what Thrale may have wanted, critics focused on Johnson's mental state from then after. In particular, John Wain emphasizes Tyers's description of Johnson as "like a ghost.
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A hint was given to our author, a few years ago, by this Rhapsodist, to write his own life, lest somebody should write it for him. He has reason to believe, he has left a manuscript biography behind him. His executors, all honourable men, will sit in judgment upon his papers. Thuanus, Buchanan,
121:"At the end of this sketch, it may be hinted (sooner might have been prepossession) that Johnson told this writer, for he saw he always had his eye and ear upon him, that at some time or other he might be called upon to assist a posthumous account of him. 54:
There is little known about the relationship that Johnson and Tyers shared, except that Johnson claimed that "Tyers always tells him something he did not know before" and was familiarly mentioned by Johnson to Johnson's friends. However, Johnson, in
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for their December issue. The work was written in the short time between the death and the printing. Although it was the first biographical work on Johnson, the first full-length biography would be published by Murphy in 1787.
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to discuss Johnson's mental state, but not everyone agreed with the way Tyers revealed Johnson's private life;
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and is the first postmortem biographical work on the author. The first full length biography was written by
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s December 1784 issue. The work was written immediately after the death of
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On 13 December 1784, Samuel Johnson died. In response to his death, the
61:, described Tyers, called Tom Restless, as "a circumstance" and says: 350:, ed. Bertram H. Davis, pp. vii-xxx. New York: Macmillan Company, 1961. 785: 399: 368:
Vol 1. ed. Hill, G. Birkbeck, pp. 141 – 351. Oxford, 1897.
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Vol 2. Ed. G. Birkbeck Hill, pp. 335–381. Oxford, 1897.
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manner", describes Johnson's "unpredictability" and a
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Huetius, and others, have been their own historians.
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Miscellaneous Observations on the Tragedy of Macbeth
301: 839: 175: 173: 858:Works originally published in British magazines 771:Essay on the Life and Genius of Samuel Johnson 271: 269: 415: 205: 203: 170: 722:The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia 661:A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland 266: 794:A Biographical Sketch of Dr Samuel Johnson 422: 408: 373:A Biographical Sketch of Dr Samuel Johnson 200: 75:A Biographical Sketch of Dr Samuel Johnson 18:A Biographical Sketch of Dr Samuel Johnson 637:Proposals for an Edition of Shakespeare 308:, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 100:, "Poor Johnson! I see they will leave 840: 755:The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides 403: 779:Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson 668:A Dictionary of the English Language 382: 362:Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson 346:Davis, Bertram. "Introduction" in * 322: 296: 133: 117:Tyers concludes his work by saying: 97:Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson 327:, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 13: 429: 348:The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D. 14: 874: 325:The Achievement of Samuel Johnson 824: 823: 632:The Plays of William Shakespeare 278: 257: 248: 239: 230: 221: 212: 191: 182: 161: 1: 323:Bate, Walter Jackson (1955), 290: 49: 445:Birthplace, home, and museum 81: 7: 353:Hill, G. Birkbeck, editor, 10: 879: 853:Works about Samuel Johnson 715:The Vanity of Human Wishes 387:, New York: Viking Press, 821: 803: 731: 684: 652: 615:Life of Mr Richard Savage 603: 559: 498: 437: 575:The Gentleman's Magazine 531:Elizabeth Johnson (wife) 155: 28:The Gentleman's Magazine 377:Johnsonian Miscellanies 366:Johnsonian Miscellanies 355:Johnsonian Miscellanies 763:Life of Samuel Johnson 747:Life of Samuel Johnson 675:Letter to Chesterfield 642:Preface to Shakespeare 560:Essays and periodicals 360:Piozzi, Hester Lynch. 284:Tyers 1897 pp. 379-380 153: 144:Life of Samuel Johnson 131: 115: 67: 43:Life of Samuel Johnson 343:Vol. 3, London: 1887. 149: 119: 111: 63: 490:Samuel Johnson Prize 357:Vol 2. Oxford, 1897. 298:Bate, Walter Jackson 71:Gentleman's Magazine 863:British biographies 653:Miscellaneous prose 595:Taxation no Tyranny 383:Wain, John (1974), 179:Boswell 1887 p. 308 88:Biographical Sketch 685:Fiction and poetry 620:Lives of the Poets 568:Birmingham Journal 475:Literary criticism 465:Dr Johnson's House 245:Thrale 1897 p. 199 835: 834: 460:Edial Hall School 236:Davis 1961 p. vii 134:Critical response 870: 827: 826: 777:Hester Thrale's 769:Arthur Murphy's 753:James Boswell's 745:James Boswell's 627: 424: 417: 410: 401: 400: 395: 339:Boswell, James. 335: 318: 307: 285: 282: 276: 275:Bate 1977 p. 497 273: 264: 263:Wain 1974 p. 345 261: 255: 254:Wain 1974 p. 246 252: 246: 243: 237: 234: 228: 227:Hill 1897 p. 366 225: 219: 218:Hill 1897 p. 335 216: 210: 209:Bate 1955 p. 147 207: 198: 197:Bate 1977 p. 600 195: 189: 188:Hill 1897 p. 380 186: 180: 177: 168: 167:Hill 1897 p. 362 165: 878: 877: 873: 872: 871: 869: 868: 867: 838: 837: 836: 831: 817: 799: 738: 735: 727: 680: 648: 625: 608: 606: 599: 555: 494: 485:Religious views 480:Political views 438:Life and topics 433: 428: 371:Tyers, Thomas. 341:Life of Johnson 316: 293: 288: 283: 279: 274: 267: 262: 258: 253: 249: 244: 240: 235: 231: 226: 222: 217: 213: 208: 201: 196: 192: 187: 183: 178: 171: 166: 162: 158: 136: 86:Tyers used his 84: 52: 21:was written by 12: 11: 5: 876: 866: 865: 860: 855: 850: 848:1784 documents 833: 832: 822: 819: 818: 816: 815: 807: 805: 801: 800: 798: 797: 792:Thomas Tyer's 789: 782: 774: 766: 761:John Hawkins' 758: 750: 741: 739: 732: 729: 728: 726: 725: 718: 711: 704: 697: 688: 686: 682: 681: 679: 678: 671: 664: 656: 654: 650: 649: 647: 646: 645: 644: 639: 629: 622: 617: 611: 609: 604: 601: 600: 598: 597: 592: 585: 578: 571: 563: 561: 557: 556: 554: 553: 548: 543: 538: 533: 528: 523: 518: 513: 508: 506:Francis Barber 502: 500: 496: 495: 493: 492: 487: 482: 477: 472: 467: 462: 457: 452: 447: 441: 439: 435: 434: 431:Samuel Johnson 427: 426: 419: 412: 404: 398: 397: 385:Samuel Johnson 380: 369: 358: 351: 344: 337: 320: 314: 304:Samuel Johnson 292: 289: 287: 286: 277: 265: 256: 247: 238: 229: 220: 211: 199: 190: 181: 169: 159: 157: 154: 135: 132: 102:nothing untold 94:wrote, in her 83: 80: 51: 48: 34:Samuel Johnson 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 875: 864: 861: 859: 856: 854: 851: 849: 846: 845: 843: 830: 820: 814: 813: 809: 808: 806: 802: 796: 795: 790: 788: 787: 783: 781: 780: 775: 773: 772: 767: 765: 764: 759: 757: 756: 751: 749: 748: 743: 742: 740: 737: 730: 724: 723: 719: 717: 716: 712: 710: 709: 705: 703: 702: 698: 696: 694: 690: 689: 687: 683: 677: 676: 672: 670: 669: 665: 663: 662: 658: 657: 655: 651: 643: 640: 638: 635: 634: 633: 630: 628: 623: 621: 618: 616: 613: 612: 610: 605:Biography and 602: 596: 593: 591: 590: 586: 584: 583: 579: 577: 576: 572: 570: 569: 565: 564: 562: 558: 552: 549: 547: 546:Anna Williams 544: 542: 541:Hester Thrale 539: 537: 534: 532: 529: 527: 526:Arthur Murphy 524: 522: 519: 517: 516:David Garrick 514: 512: 511:James Boswell 509: 507: 504: 503: 501: 497: 491: 488: 486: 483: 481: 478: 476: 473: 471: 468: 466: 463: 461: 458: 456: 453: 451: 448: 446: 443: 442: 440: 436: 432: 425: 420: 418: 413: 411: 406: 405: 402: 394: 390: 386: 381: 378: 374: 370: 367: 363: 359: 356: 352: 349: 345: 342: 338: 334: 330: 326: 321: 317: 315:0-15-179260-7 311: 306: 305: 299: 295: 294: 281: 272: 270: 260: 251: 242: 233: 224: 215: 206: 204: 194: 185: 176: 174: 164: 160: 152: 148: 146: 145: 140: 139:James Boswell 130: 126: 122: 118: 114: 110: 108: 103: 99: 98: 93: 92:Hester Thrale 89: 79: 76: 72: 66: 62: 60: 59: 47: 45: 44: 39: 35: 31: 29: 24: 20: 19: 812:Blinking Sam 810: 793: 791: 784: 778: 770: 762: 754: 746: 734:Contemporary 720: 713: 707: 700: 692: 673: 666: 659: 587: 580: 573: 566: 536:Henry Thrale 521:John Hawkins 384: 376: 372: 365: 361: 354: 347: 340: 324: 303: 280: 259: 250: 241: 232: 223: 214: 193: 184: 163: 150: 142: 137: 127: 123: 120: 116: 112: 106: 101: 95: 87: 85: 74: 70: 68: 64: 56: 53: 41: 38:John Hawkins 26: 23:Thomas Tyers 17: 16: 15: 695:translation 589:The Rambler 40:and titled 842:Categories 450:Early life 291:References 50:Background 804:Portraits 786:Thraliana 607:criticism 582:The Idler 147:, wrote: 141:, in his 82:Biography 58:The Idler 829:Category 736:accounts 470:The Club 393:40318001 300:(1977), 129:he could 693:Messiah 701:London 499:People 455:Health 391:  333:355413 331:  312:  107:newest 708:Irene 551:Hodge 156:Notes 389:OCLC 329:OCLC 310:ISBN 73:ran 25:for 375:in 364:in 844:: 268:^ 202:^ 172:^ 46:. 423:e 416:t 409:v 396:. 336:. 319:. 30:'

Index

Thomas Tyers
The Gentleman's Magazine
Samuel Johnson
John Hawkins
Life of Samuel Johnson
The Idler
Hester Thrale
Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson
James Boswell
Life of Samuel Johnson






Bate, Walter Jackson
Samuel Johnson
ISBN
0-15-179260-7
OCLC
355413
OCLC
40318001
v
t
e
Samuel Johnson
Birthplace, home, and museum
Early life

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