Evidence: | 'These Voyages, (pointing to the three large volumes of "Voyages to the South Sea", which were just come out) who will read them through? A man had better work his way before the mast, than read them through; they will be eaten by rats and mice, before they are read through. There can be little entertainment in such books; one set of Savages is like another." BOSWELL. "I do not think the people of Otaheite can be reckoned Savages". JOHNSON. "Don't cant in defence of Savages". BOSWELL. "They have the art of navigation". JOHNSON. "A dog or a cat can swim". BOSWELL. "They carve very ingeniously". JOHNSON. "A cat can scratch, and a child with a nail can scratch".'
|
||||||||||
Century: | 1700-1799 | ||||||||||
Date: | Until: 15 Jun 1784 | ||||||||||
Country: | n/a | ||||||||||
Time: | n/a | ||||||||||
Place: | n/a | ||||||||||
Type of Experience (Reader): |
|
||||||||||
Type of Experience (Listener): |
|
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: | 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: | |
Title: | [books of Voyages to the South Seas] |
Genre: | Geography / Travel |
Form of Text: | Print: Book |
Publication details: | n/a |
Provenance: | unknown |
Record ID: | 22417 | |
Source - | ||
Author: | James Boswell | |
Editor: | R.W. Chapman | |
Title: | Life of Johnson | |
Place of Publication: | Oxford | |
Date of Publication: | 1980 | |
Vol: | n/a | |
Page: | 1304 | |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Citation: | James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson (Oxford, 1980), p. 1304, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=22417, accessed: 06 June 2023 |
Original date of publication 1791. Both men's words imply they had read some of the celebrated books of South Sea travels. |
Reading Experience Database version 2.0. Page updated: 27th Apr 2016 3:15pm (GMT)