
Biography of Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson (September 18, 1709—December 13, 1784) was an English writer, critic, and all-around literary celebrity in the 18th century. While his poetry and works of fiction—though certainly accomplished and well-received—are not generally regarded among the great works of his time, his contributions to the English language and the field of literary criticism are extremely notable.
Also notable is Johnson’s celebrity; he is one of the first examples of a modern writer achieving great fame, in large part for his personality and personal style, as well as the massive posthumous biography published by his friend and acolyte James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson.
Essays by Samuel Johnson
- A Plan of The English Dictionary
- A Letter to Lord Chesterfield
- A Preface to A Dictionary of the English Language
- Addison
- Akenside
- Blackmore
- Butler
- Collins
- Congreve
- Cowley
- Denham
- Dorset
- Duke
- Dyer
- Garth
- Gay
- Gray
- Halifax
- Hughes
- King
- Lyttelton
- Mallet
- Milton
- Otway
- Parnell
- Philips, A
- Philips, J
- Pomfret
- Prior
- Rochester
- Roscommon
- Rowe
- Savage
- Sheffield
- Shenstone
- Smith
- Somervile
- Sprat
- Stepney
- Swift
- The life of Cowley
- Thomson
- Tickell
- Waller
- Walsh
- Watts
- West
- Young
Poems by Samuel Johnson
- A Short Song Of Congratulation
- Anacreon: Ode 9
- Autumn
- Burlesque
- Burlesque
- Drury-Lane Prologue Spoken By Mr. Garrick
- Epitaph On Sir Thomas Hanmer, Bart.
- Evening Ode
- Friendship
- From Boethius
- From Boethius: De Consolatione Philosophiae; Book Ii. Metre 2.
- From Boethius: De Consolatione Philosophiae; Book Ii. Metre 4.
- From Boethius: De Consolatione Philosophiae; Book Iii. Metre 5
- From The Medea Of Euripides
- from The Vanity of Human Wishes
- Gnothi Seauton
- Horace: Book 1, Ode 22
- Horace: Book 1, Ode 22
- Horace: Book Ii. Ode 9
- Horace: Book Iv. Ode 7
- Inspiration
- London - In Imitation Of The Third Satire Of Juvenal
- On Hearing Miss Thrale Consulting With A Friend About A Gown And Hat
- On Lyce - An Elderly Lady
- On Seeing A Bust Of Mrs. Montague
- On The Death Of Stephen Grey, F.R.S.
- One And Twenty
- Parody Of A Translation From The Medea Of Euripides
- Part Of The Dialogue Between Hector And Andromache
- Song
- Spring
- Stella In Mourning
- Summer
- The City Of God
- The Natural Beauty
- The Vanity Of Human Wishes
- The Vanity Of Wealth
- The Winter's Walk
- The Young Author
- To A Young Lady, On Her Birthday
- To Lady Firebrace
- To Miss Hickman, Playing The Spinet
- To Miss---,
- To Mrs. Thrale On Her Completing Her Thirty-Fifth Year
- To Myrtilis - The New Year's Offering
- Translation Of A Speech Of Aquileio In The Adriano Of Metastasio
- Winter
- Written At The Request Of A Gentleman To Whom A Lady Had Given A Sprig Of Myrtle