Macaulay's Life of Samuel Johnson, with a Selection from his Essay on Johnson

ould read the Life through at a sitting without consulting a note, just as we read an article in the Atlantic Monthly or the Encyclop?dia Britan

ommentators. When his fancy is once on the wing, let it not stoop at correction or explanation. When his attention is strongly engaged let it disdain alike to turn aside to the name of Theobald and of Pope. Let him read on through brigh

the Life contributes something to the one subject under discussion. Naturally we find ourselves making topics, such for example as Johnson's Youth, His Father, At Oxford. A list of these topics gives us a bird's-eye view of the wh

First let us see whether he goes easily from one paragraph to the next. For example, is the first sentence of paragraph 2 a good connectin

ation of the opening and the closing sentence ever serve the purpose? Does one or the other of these ever answer

p naturally to the next? Can the order of sentences be changed to advantage? When the sentences in a paragraph hold toget

raphs in which Macaulay succeeds particularly well in emphasizing the main point. If w

Selecting two or three of the most interesting paragraphs, we may make the three tests: (1) Is each sentence a unit? (2) I

closed, to write as much of it as possible from memory. As it is not merely a large vocabulary that we wish, but a well chosen one, we shall do well to compare our version with Macaulay's and see in how many case

re important ones, we are sure to carry much food for thought away with us. The value of a review of this sort is evident from a glance at the following topics: Literary Life in London in Johnson's Time, Johnson's Lov

whenever read, he will be read with fascination, with delight, with wonder. And with copious instruction too; but al

he is not one of the deep thinkers, one of the very great writers, we may go on committing his Lays to heart, studying his Essays, and admiring those wonderfully faithful