Evidence: | 'At this time the controversy concerning the pieces published by Mr James Macpherson as translations of [italics] Ossian [end italics], was at its height. Johson had all along denied their authenticity; and, what was still more provoking to their admirers, maintained they had no merit. The subject having been introduced by Dr Fordyce, Dr Blair, relying on the internal evidence of their antiquity, asked Dr Johnson whether he thought any man of a modern age could have written such poems? Johnson replied, "Yes, Sir, many men, many women, and many children". Dr Johnson did not know that Dr Blair had just published a "Dissertation", not only defending their authenticity, but seriously ranking them with the poems of [italics] Homer [end italics] and [italics] Virgil [end italics].' |
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Century: | 1850-1899 | ||||||||||
Date: | Until: 24 May 1763 | ||||||||||
Country: | n/a | ||||||||||
Time: | n/a | ||||||||||
Place: | n/a | ||||||||||
Type of Experience (Reader): |
|
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Type of Experience (Listener): |
|
Reader: | Hugh Blair |
Age | Adult (18-100+) |
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | 7 Apr 1718 |
Socio-economic group: | Professional / academic / merchant / farmer |
Occupation: | preacher and rhetorician |
Religion: | n/a |
Country of origin: | Scotland |
Country of experience: | n/a |
Listeners present if any: (e.g. family, servants,
friends, workmates) |
n/a |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Author: | James Macpherson |
Title: | Fragments of Ancient Poetry collected in the Highlands of Scotland |
Genre: | Poetry |
Form of Text: | Print: Book |
Publication details: | n/a |
Provenance: | unknown |
Record ID: | 20868 | |
Source - | ||
Author: | James Boswell | |
Editor: | R.W. Chapman | |
Title: | Life of Johnson | |
Place of Publication: | Oxford | |
Date of Publication: | 1980 | |
Vol: | n/a | |
Page: | 280 | |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Citation: | James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson (Oxford, 1980), p. 280, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=20868, accessed: 19 April 2024 |
Originally published 1791. |
Reading Experience Database version 2.0. Page updated: 27th Apr 2016 3:15pm (GMT)