The Life Of Samuel Johnson Analysis

“The Life of Samuel Johnson” is a biography written by James Boswell. This biography will be analyzed using the authority and authenticity “tool” from “A Tool Kit: Twenty-four Strategies for Reading Life Narratives” by Sidonie Smith and Julia Watson. Boswell introduces the paper by praising Johnson's literary skills, and stating that “had he employed in the preservation of his own history… the world would probably have had the most perfect example of biography that was ever exhibited” (par. 1). Boswell also states that he was friends with Johnson for a little bit more than twenty years. Boswell’s authority to write the biography, and the authenticity of it, comes from his friendship with Johnson. The way this biography is written, it paints …show more content…
He believes that “had [Johnson’s] other friends been as diligent and ardent as I was, he might have been almost entirely preserved” (par. 4). Boswell wants to keep Johnson alive in writing as best he can. He wants to use as much information as he can manage to give the reader the most accurate and authentic recount of Johnson’s life as he can. Boswell describes his efforts to track down as much information as possible in the second paragraph of the introduction. He tells the reader he “spared no pains” (par. 2) when it came to finding information on Johnson. However, since he is just one man, there are only so many details that he can find on his own. This is why he expresses such frustration that not more people, especially others that were close to Johnson, did not themselves feel the need to conserve Johnson and his …show more content…
He starts at the very beginning, talking about Johnson's birth, and and the baptism that follows immediately after, and then continues from there. As well as giving facts about Johnson’s life, he gives some background of his parents. Boswell, being as close as he was to Samuel Johnson for so long, had many connections to the family and information about his life story, before having to do any more extensive research. However, there were still many details of Johnson’s earlier years that Boswell did not have knowledge of. To learn more about this time of Johnson’s life, Boswell spoke to him directly and asked him questions, which he happily answered. Boswell was also able to speak with some of Johnson's college professors, who gave him their impressions and stories of Johnson as he made his way through college. However, one of Johnson’s professors, Dr. Adams, described him as “a gay and frolicksome fellow” (par. 18), and Boswell states that this is “striking proof of the fallacy of appearances” (par. 18). Boswell knew Johnson for a very long time, and he knows that Johnson was not a happy man as Dr. Adams described, and that in truth, Johnson was “depressed by poverty, and irritated by disease” (par. 18). Furthermore, Johnson himself informed Boswell that the professor was indeed very oblivious to the truth of Johnson’s situation,