Life of Johnson, Volume 1 1709-1765 — Key Ideas to Explore

Chronology and Interruption

The volume's chronological spine is repeatedly broken by inserted documents. Boswell does not simply narrate events; he presents Johnson's own words as evidence. The excerpts show a diary entry for July 16 recording a loan of twenty-five pounds to Mr. Davis, followed by the text of Johnson's diploma from Trinity College Dublin. This juxtaposition of mundane financial detail and formal academic honor is typical. The reader moves from a specific date and sum to the Latin of a legal instrument, then to a prayer composed in September 1765. The effect is a biography that feels like a scrapbook, where the subject's voice competes with the biographer's.

Recurring Images: Money and Ambition

Financial transactions appear repeatedly in the excerpts. Johnson receives seventy-five pounds, lends twenty-five, and his father's early labor at six shillings a week is noted. These details are not merely factual; they create a pattern of economic awareness. Alongside money, ambition surfaces: Johnson considers studying law and entering politics. His prayers for guidance in these pursuits are recorded, but Boswell admits uncertainty about the specific political role. The editor's footnote on William Gerard Hamilton adds another layer, suggesting that even contemporaries could not clarify Johnson's intentions. The image of Johnson walking a guest to the street door, unwilling to be left alone, humanizes these lofty ambitions.

Movement Between Public and Private

The excerpts shift between public honors and private anxieties. The Trinity College diploma is a formal, public document, yet it is followed by Johnson's private prayer, which reveals vulnerability: 'enable me, if it be thy will, to attain such knowledge.' The editor's note that Johnson's diary contains 'nothing upon the subject' of his political plans underscores the gap between what is recorded and what is withheld. This movement is also geographical: the narrative moves from London to Dublin (via the diploma) and back to the Thrale family, introduced as 'one of the most eminent brewers in England.' The foreigner's amazement at brewers' status is a digression that reflects Boswell's own social commentary.

The Editor's Presence

George Birkbeck Norman Hill's editorial hand is visible throughout. He adds footnotes (e.g., explaining Johnson's 'H——n' as William Gerard Hamilton), provides appendices on topics like Johnson's letters and illnesses, and includes facsimiles of handwriting. The dedication to Benjamin Jowett, described as 'Johnsonianissimus,' signals a scholarly community. The editor's notes sometimes admit ignorance: 'nor can Mr. Hamilton explain.' This honesty contrasts with Boswell's confident narrative. The reader is thus aware of two voices: Boswell's biographical construction and Hill's critical apparatus, which together create a multi-layered text.

Readers approaching this volume should attend to the interplay between Boswell's chronological story and the inserted documents. The prayers, letters, and diary entries are not mere illustrations; they are structural elements that shape the biography. The editor's notes and appendices further complicate the narrative, inviting scrutiny of both Johnson's life and the process of its recording. This is a work that rewards careful attention to its formal construction.