Complete English Poems, The (Johnson, Samuel) (Penguin Classics)

By Samuel Johnson

Book Overview

This edition includes all Samuel Johnson's poems, a final version of "The Vanity of Human Wishes" and a first draft of this work contained in an appendix, as well as a selection from his Latin poems... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014042296X
• ISBN13: 9780140422962
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.0" x 1.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Poetry for Scholars Only - Johnson great in so many things, not great as a Poet

Samuel Johnson is one of the great figures in the history of 'English Literature'. It is difficult to count the ways of his outstanding achievements. The first Dictionary in English which he compiled and created most imaginative definitions of is one achievement. There is then the great Shakespeare criticism, and also the 'Lives of the Poets'. Of course Johnson is also the subject of the most famous biography in the English Language. He too is considered ' the greatest talker' the English language ever knew. His life of hardship overcome, the great moral strength of his character make him truly a 'larger than life' figure. Walter Bate one of his biographers points to his great compassion, common- sense and ability to transform factual reality through Imagination as distinctive characteristics of his greatness. With all that Johnson is not a much loved or much anthologized poet. His most well known poem 'The Vanity of Human Wishes' which bases itself on the Tenth Book of Juvenal takes a very critical view of human nature. I doubt that it speaks to many people today. Johnson's poetry is more in the Neo- Classical mode making great use of mythological figures. Even when it writes about persons Johnson knows it does so in a general and abstract language. It is not the poetry of intimate feeling and intuition, of great original language. Reading it I felt myself more in the realm of Verse than in that of the great Poetry I most love. I may well be showing my narrowness of taste here, but I do not feel that Johnson succeeds in his Poetry as he does in his Criticism. My guess is that this volume will be enjoyed and appreciated by scholars only, and not by the common reader.