Evidence: | 'He [Johnson] observed, that a gentleman of eminence in literature [Thomas Warton] had got into a bad style of poetry of late. "He puts (said he) a very common thing in a strange dress till he does not know it himself, and thinks other people do not know it". BOSWELL. "That is owing to his being so much versant in old English poetry".JOHNSON. "What is the purpose, Sir? If I say a man is drunk, and you tell me it is owing to his taking much drink, the matter is not mended. No, Sir, ---- has taken to an odd mode. For example; he'd write thus:
'Hermit hoar, in solemn cell,
Wearing out life's evening gray'.
[italics] Gray evening [end italics] is common enough; but [italics] evening gray [end italics] he'd think fine".'[Johnson continues to critique Warton's style]
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Century: | 1700-1799 | ||||||||||
Date: | Until: 18 Sep 1777 | ||||||||||
Country: | England | ||||||||||
Time: | n/a | ||||||||||
Place: | n/a | ||||||||||
Type of Experience (Reader): |
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Type of Experience (Listener): |
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Reader: | Samuel Johnson |
Age | Adult (18-100+) |
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | 18 Sep 1709 |
Socio-economic group: | Professional / academic / merchant / farmer |
Occupation: | writer |
Religion: | Anglican |
Country of origin: | England |
Country of experience: | England |
Listeners present if any: (e.g. family, servants,
friends, workmates) |
n/a |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Author: | Thomas Warton |
Title: | [poems] |
Genre: | Poetry |
Form of Text: | Print: Book |
Publication details: | n/a |
Provenance: | unknown |
Record ID: | 21711 | |
Source - | ||
Author: | James Boswell | |
Editor: | R.W. Chapman | |
Title: | Life of Johnson | |
Place of Publication: | Oxford | |
Date of Publication: | 1980 | |
Vol: | n/a | |
Page: | 842 | |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Citation: | James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson (Oxford, 1980), p. 842, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=21711, accessed: 28 March 2024 |
Originally published 1791. |
Reading Experience Database version 2.0. Page updated: 27th Apr 2016 3:15pm (GMT)