The Life of Samuel Johnson

On Good Friday 1778, Johnson runs into an old classmate, Mr. Edwards, whom he has not seen since college, even though both men have lived in London all this time. They go to Johnson’s home with Boswell and the two old men share poignant reminiscences and observations about old age. Whereas Johnson has become a famous man of letters, Edwards has been a simple lawyer; yet neither man has become rich.

In April, Boswell attempts to form a list of Johnson’s works—a sign that he is tasking himself with Johnson’s literary legacy. The task is made difficult by the fact that Johnson has written so much and is reluctant about keeping and exact record of which pieces were written by him.

At a gathering on April 28 with Johnson, Reynolds, Boswell, and others, Johnson defends his practice of not drinking wine as leading to moderation and a clear mind; he presents himself as evidence, since he has been a “water drinker” for a number of years.

During a similar gathering on April 29, there is a significant aside between Boswell and the historian Dr. Robertson. When Boswell praises Johnson as “so much superiour to other men” that he is worthy to be “worshipped,” Robertson presents a more balanced and realistic portrait of Johnson: “In criticism, and in wit and conversation, he is no doubt very excellent; but in other respects, he is not above other men” (978). Reynolds argues that Johnson is prone to exaggeration in his portrayals of the characters of people. Thus, we see Johnson’s friends tempering Boswell’s extreme enthusiasm for Johnson. This gives the Life a greater sense of dimension, since it is not simply a two-sided conversation between Boswell and Johnson. Boswell freely presents this material in the Life to show his willingness to present multiple views on his own behavior—a sign that he accepts constructive criticism, thus implying that critiques he rejects have no foundation.

In May, the readers again see a perceived slight and a reconciliation between Boswell and Johnson. While at a dinner at Sir Joshua Reynolds with a company of strangers on May 2, Boswell reports that Johnson rudely attacks him for no apparent reason. Six days later, when Johnson notices Boswell brooding, he asks Boswell what is the matter, and Boswell brings up the incident to him. Johnson promises “I’ll make it up to you twenty different ways, as you please” (983). This once again shows Johnson’s willingness to repair offenses that he has caused.

More conversational friction takes place as Johnson and Boswell discuss the question of whether one’s character influences one’s success in life. Johnson maintains the pessimistic view that vice does not hurt a man’s reputation. When Boswell argues the opposite stance, Johnson becomes testy, attacks Boswell, and the conversation comes to a standstill. Boswell states that “[m]y readers will decide upon this dispute” (994), thus inviting us to take a side in the argument. In this way, Boswell seeks to engage the reader actively in the ideas being discussed.

Despite this friction, a few days later Johnson and Boswell part from their meeting “with assurances of affectionate regard” (999).