Reading Experience Database
1450-1945

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Record 21719

Reading Experience:

Evidence:
'I have no doubt that a good many sermons were composed for Taylor [with whom Johnson and Boswell were staying] by Johnson. At this time I found, upon his table, a part of one which he had newly begun to write: and [italics] Concio pro Tayloro [end italics] appears in one of his diaries. When to these circumstances we add the internal evidence from the power of thinking and style, in the collection which the Reverend Mr. Hayes has published, with the [italics] significant [end italics] title of "Sermons [italics] left for publication [end italics] by the Reverend John Taylor, LL.D.", our conviction will be complete. I, however, would not have it thought, that Dr. Taylor, though he could not write like Johnson, (as, indeed, who could?) did not sometimes compose sermons as good as those which we generally have from very respectable divines. He showed me one with notes on the margin in Johnson's hand-writing; and I was present when he read another to Johnson, that he might have his opinion of it, and Johnson said it was "very well". These, we may be sure, were not Johnson's; for he was above little arts, or tricks of deception.'
Century: 1700-1799
Date: Between 1 Sep 1777 and 30 Sep 1777
Country: England
Time: n/a
Place: city: Ashbourne
county: Derbyshire
   
Type of Experience (Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Type of Experience (Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Reader/Listener/Reading Group:

Reader:James Boswell
Age Adult (18-100+)
Gender Male
Date of Birth 29 Oct 1740
Socio-economic group: Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation: writer and lawyer
Religion: Anglican
Country of origin: Scotland
Country of experience: England
Listeners present if any:
(e.g. family, servants, friends, workmates)
n/a
Additional comments: n/a

 

Text Being Read:

Author: Samuel Johnson
Title: [sermon written for John Taylor]
Genre: Sermon
Form of Text: Manuscript: Unknown
Publication details: n/a
Provenance: read in situ

 

Source Information:

Record ID: 21719  
Source - Print  
  Author: James Boswell
  Editor: R.W. Chapman
  Title: Life of Johnson
  Place of Publication: Oxford
  Date of Publication: 1980
  Vol: n/a
  Page: 861
  Additional comments: n/a

Citation: James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson (Oxford, 1980), p. 861, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=21719, accessed: 16 April 2024

Additional comments:

Originally published 1791.

 

 

Reading Experience Database version 2.0.  Page updated: 27th Apr 2016  3:15pm (GMT)