Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson

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

  1. A Plan of The English Dictionary
  2. A Letter to Lord Chesterfield
  3. A Preface to A Dictionary of the English Language
  4. Addison
  5. Akenside
  6. Blackmore
  7. Butler
  8. Collins
  9. Congreve
  10. Cowley
  11. Denham
  12. Dorset
  13. Duke
  14. Dyer
  15. Garth
  16. Gay
  17. Gray
  18. Halifax
  19. Hughes
  20. King
  21. Lyttelton
  22. Mallet
  23. Milton
  24. Otway
  25. Parnell
  26. Philips, A
  27. Philips, J
  28. Pomfret
  29. Prior
  30. Rochester
  31. Roscommon
  32. Rowe
  33. Savage
  34. Sheffield
  35. Shenstone
  36. Smith
  37. Somervile
  38. Sprat
  39. Stepney
  40. Swift
  41. The life of Cowley
  42. Thomson
  43. Tickell
  44. Waller
  45. Walsh
  46. Watts
  47. West
  48. Young

Poems by Samuel Johnson

  1. A Short Song Of Congratulation
  2. Anacreon: Ode 9
  3. Autumn
  4. Burlesque
  5. Burlesque
  6. Drury-Lane Prologue Spoken By Mr. Garrick
  7. Epitaph On Sir Thomas Hanmer, Bart.
  8. Evening Ode
  9. Friendship
  10. From Boethius
  11. From Boethius: De Consolatione Philosophiae; Book Ii. Metre 2.
  12. From Boethius: De Consolatione Philosophiae; Book Ii. Metre 4.
  13. From Boethius: De Consolatione Philosophiae; Book Iii. Metre 5
  14. From The Medea Of Euripides
  15. from The Vanity of Human Wishes
  16. Gnothi Seauton
  17. Horace: Book 1, Ode 22
  18. Horace: Book 1, Ode 22
  19. Horace: Book Ii. Ode 9
  20. Horace: Book Iv. Ode 7
  21. Inspiration
  22. London - In Imitation Of The Third Satire Of Juvenal
  23. On Hearing Miss Thrale Consulting With A Friend About A Gown And Hat
  24. On Lyce - An Elderly Lady
  25. On Seeing A Bust Of Mrs. Montague
  26. On The Death Of Stephen Grey, F.R.S.
  27. One And Twenty
  28. Parody Of A Translation From The Medea Of Euripides
  29. Part Of The Dialogue Between Hector And Andromache
  30. Song
  31. Spring
  32. Stella In Mourning
  33. Summer
  34. The City Of God
  35. The Natural Beauty
  36. The Vanity Of Human Wishes
  37. The Vanity Of Wealth
  38. The Winter's Walk
  39. The Young Author
  40. To A Young Lady, On Her Birthday
  41. To Lady Firebrace
  42. To Miss Hickman, Playing The Spinet
  43. To Miss---,
  44. To Mrs. Thrale On Her Completing Her Thirty-Fifth Year
  45. To Myrtilis - The New Year's Offering
  46. Translation Of A Speech Of Aquileio In The Adriano Of Metastasio
  47. Winter
  48. Written At The Request Of A Gentleman To Whom A Lady Had Given A Sprig Of Myrtle