Samuel Johnson was born to a bookseller and his wife in September 1709. His family lived above a bookshop and struggled financially despite both his parents’ families having money.
Samuel Johnson – Education
Samuel Johnson was never a healthy child, he was baptised at birth because of concern over his health. He developed tuberculosis of the skin known as scrofula and surgery left his body scarred. Later he also went on to develop the symptoms of Tourettes Syndrome signified initially by the exhibition of sudden movements and tics.
His poor health however, did not prevent him from developing intellectually and as a young child, he would show off his newly learned achievements. He was particularly good a Latin although he did well in all his studies. He attended Lichfield Grammar School where he became friends with the nephew of the surgeon who had delivered him. He was able to attend Pembroke College in Oxford following the death of a cousin who left some funds to assist with his expenses. However, the money did not last and Johnson had to leave Oxford before attaining a degree. The Trinity College Dublin in 1765 and Oxford University later awarded him an honorary directorate in 1775.
Samuel Johnson –Career
Johnson’s poor physical and at times, mental, health made it difficult for his early career. He obtained employment as a teacher for a short time and continued to pursue a career as a schoolmaster. However, his efforts were impaired by his lack of a formal degree.
He eventually found himself in London where he found work writing for a number of periodicals, including The Gentleman’s Magazine. During this time, he produced several pieces of work including a biography of Richard Savage, poems – London and The Vanity of Human Wishes and a play, Irene.
In his later career, he published a number of works in addition to the Dictionary of English Language. They included an annotated edition of the plays of Shakespeare, the novel Rasselas and a number of travel pieces following a trip to Scotland. Towards the end of his life he produced a huge collection of works about relevant poets of the time, Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets.
Samuel Johnson - Dictionary
In 1746, Johnson signed a contract with the publishers William Strahan and associates to create a Dictionary of the English Language. He completed the works nine years later, six more than he had first envisaged. Although Johnson’s dictionary was not the first, it is considered a considerable scholarly achievement. It was the most common source of reference before the publication of the Oxford English Dictionary some 150 years later.
The production of the dictionary, over ten years, disrupted Johnson’s life. Although he employed assistants to do some of the copying he was constantly working on the production surrounded by books. At the same time he was seeking financial support through subscriptions and took years for the dictionary to produce a profit. Johnson despite his commitment to the dictionary also produced a series of essays The Rambler. These pieces often debated moral and religious topics.
Samuel Johnson died after a number of illnesses in 1784 and is buried in Westminster Abbey. His legacy is evident in the huge number of works he produced and his influential contribution as a critic about English literature. He is also the subject of the famous biographical works by James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson
References
The Life of Samuel Johnson , James Boswell (Penguin Classics)
The Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Page
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