The Life of Samuel Johnson

For a time, Johnson lives in the house of Gilbert Walmsley, a leading citizen of Lichfield. Johnson professes later that he benefited greatly from Walmsley’s learning and friendship. Johnson briefly works as an assistant at a grammar school in Leicestershire, but he quits after a few months because of the harsh treatment he receives.

Still without any definite plan, Johnson is invited by a former schoolmate, Mr. Hector, to live in the Birmingham house of Mr. Warren, a bookseller. During this time Johnson writes his first prose work, a translation from French of a book called Voyage to Abyssinia. Boswell finds that Johnson’s original preface to the work already shows signs of his distinctive “brilliant and energetick” (64) literary style.

Now living on his own in Birmingham, Johnson becomes acquainted with Mr. Porter, a merchant, who is married to a woman named Elizabeth or “Tetty.” After Porter dies, Johnson marries Tetty, who is 20 years his senior and has several children. Although Johnson’s mother has reservations about the difference in their ages, she agrees to the union for her son’s sake. Johnson and Tetty’s marriage will last until Tetty’s death in 1752; Johnson tells Boswell that “it was a love-marriage upon both sides” (69).

A large and ungainly man, Johnson becomes known for his odd appearance and mannerisms. These include sudden convulsive movements and absent-minded behavior, which are now argued to have been symptoms of Tourette syndrome. Notably, upon first meeting Johnson, Tetty overlooks his unusual outward appearance and appreciate his conversation and intellect; she remarks to her daughter that “this is the most sensible man that I ever saw in my life” (68). Johnson, in turn, values Tetty for her intelligence and understanding.

This section is the first time that Boswell’s biases about his subject come to the fore. Boswell’s depiction of Tetty is not extensive and is on the whole quite negative: He stresses her older age and ungainly physical appearance, and implies that Tetty is not Johnson’s intellectual equal. Even though, Boswell is careful to note that Johnson professed great love for his wife and was later filled with grief at her passing, Boswell’s unflattering description mirrors his treatment of other women in Johnson’s life—most notably, Hester Thrale. Throughout the book, Boswell often inserts his own opinions about people and events, highlighting his own personality and views, which often seem to reflect jealousy of anyone else close to his friend and mentor.

Overall, however, Johnson’s marriage and the beginnings of his literary activities give this section a more hopeful tone, contrasting with the suffering of his teenage years. Although these early literary efforts are mostly translations and prefaces to works by others, Boswell notes that they already show signs of Johnson’s distinctive style and talent. Sometimes considered hackwork in the 18th century, such assignments introduce the young Johnson to the professional literary world, develop his skills, and put his name before the public.