Sam Johnson

Rasselas and his companions escape the pleasures of the "happy valley" in order to make their "choice of life". By witnessing the misfortunes and miseries of others, they understand....

Part travel diary, part cultural critique, A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland is both a historical snapshot and a thoughtful meditation on identity, society, and the passage of time.

With many chapters on various grammatical theories, A Grammar of the English Tongue is the complete guide to the correct usage of English....

A literary giant of the 18th century, Samuel Johnson made lasting contributions to English literature as an essayist, moralist, poet, biographer, literary critic and editor....

Above all, Samuel Johnson’s Rasselas (1759) is concerned with the nature of happiness. Rasselas and his companions remove themselves from the pleasure of the ‘happy valley’ so that they can make their ‘choice of life’....

The subject and argument of the poem are clear from the title. However, unlike Juvenal, Johnson espoused the view that Christian values are an essential aspect of a life well lived....

This is an essay from the Favorite Essays collection....

Dr. Johnson was the great wit of his age and all ages. He is as widely quoted today as in his time. He had the most pity and appropriate comments of any man of any age....

Here, in this unusual collection, are some of the greatest essays in Western literature. Witty, informative and imaginative....

Young prince Rasselas is discontented with life in the idyllic Happy Valley, where the children of the King of Abyssinia are confined for life amid every pleasure that the heart could desire....