Full Answer
What is a Boswell?
What is a Boswell? To be someone's Boswell is a phrase inspired by the relationship between James Boswell and Samuel Johnson. Boswell looked up to the older and more famous Johnson, and he made a point of writing down many of their conversations and accompanying Johnson on some of his travels, especially their trips to the Hebrides in 1773.
Why did Boswell write the life of Johnson?
Boswell looked up to the older and more famous Johnson, and he made a point of writing down many of their conversations and accompanying Johnson on some of his travels, especially their trips to the Hebrides in 1773. In 1791, Boswell published the biography The Life of Johnson about his friend, who had died 7 years earlier.
Where did Boswell live in James Court?
In 1773 Boswell bought the house of David Hume (who moved to a new house on South St David Street/St Andrew Square) on the south east corner of James Court. [15] [16] He lived there until 1786. [17] Boswell's residency at James Court has been well established, but not the exact location.
What did William Boswell do in 1792?
In 1792 Boswell lobbied the Home Secretary to help gain royal pardons for four Botany Bay escapees, including Mary Bryant. He also offered to stand for Parliament but failed to get the necessary support, and he spent the final years of his life writing his Life of Samuel Johnson.
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What does it mean to be someone's Boswell?
Definition of Boswell : a person who records in detail the life of a usually famous contemporary.
What was Boswell famous for?
James Boswell, ninth laird of Auchinleck, is best remembered for his biography 'The Life of Samuel Johnson' published in 1791. It was only in the latter part of the twentieth century with the recovery of his private papers and publication of his London journal of 1762-1763 that his qualities as a diarist came to light.
What did Boswell think of Johnson?
James Boswell had been in London for half a year, and had still not met Samuel Johnson, much though he wanted to: he had read The Rambler and Rasselas, and admired Johnson as a master of wisdom.
Who was the close friend of Boswell?
John Radner This book examines the fluctuating, close, and complex friendship enjoyed by Samuel Johnson and James Boswell, from the day they met in 1763 to the day when Boswell published his monumental Life of Johnson.
Where did the name Boswell originate?
Boswell is a British family name of Norman origins and may refer to the following individuals: Alexander Boswell (judge) (1706–1782), judge of the Scottish supreme court and father of James Boswell. Alexander Boswell (songwriter) (1775–1822), Scottish songwriter, son of James Boswell, grandson of Alexander Boswell.
What is a synonym for Boswell?
champion, friend, protagonist, supporter, booster, admirer.
What was the age of Johnson?
The Age of Johnson, often referred to as The Age of Sensibility, is the period in English literature that ranged from the middle of the eighteenth century until 1798.
How long is Boswell's Life of Johnson?
Boswell's personal acquaintance with his subject began in 1763, when Johnson was 54 years old, and Boswell covered the entirety of Johnson's life by means of additional research....The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.AuthorJames BoswellPublication date1791TextLife of Samuel Johnson at Wikisource6 more rows
Why is Boswell The Life of Samuel Johnson considered a literary masterpiece?
James Boswell's The Life of Samuel Johnson is considered a literary masterpiece because of Boswell's hard work and devotion to his biographic art, his artistic sense that he employed to develop his scenes and actions, and the vigorous energy of the work in depicting the authentic humanity and personality of Johnson.
Where was Boswell born?
Edinburgh, United KingdomJames Boswell / Place of birthBoswell was born in Blair's Land on the east side of Parliament Close behind St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on 29 October 1740 (N.S.). He was the eldest son of a judge, Alexander Boswell, Lord Auchinleck, and his wife Euphemia Erskine.
When was Boswell born?
October 29, 1740James Boswell / Date of birth
When did Boswell meet Johnson?
1763Boswell, a 22-year-old lawyer from Scotland, first met the 53-year-old Samuel Johnson in 1763, and they were friends for the 21 remaining years of Johnson's life.
How common is the last name Boswell?
Boswell is also the 195,254th most commonly used first name worldwide, held by 1,572 people. The surname Boswell is most common in The United States, where it is carried by 30,222 people, or 1 in 11,993.
Where was the Boswell family from?
Early Origins of the Boswell family "The family were in England in 1136, and probably from the period of the Conquest."
How do you pronounce Boswell?
0:051:00How To Say Boswell - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipVos wow boswell boswell boswell boswell boswell.MoreVos wow boswell boswell boswell boswell boswell.
Is Boswell Scottish?
Clan Boswell is a Lowland Scottish clan and is recognized as such by the Lord Lyon King of Arms.
Overview
In fiction and popular culture
Boswell's surname has passed into the English language as a term (Boswell, Boswellian, Boswellism) for a constant companion and observer, especially one who records those observations in print. In "A Scandal in Bohemia", Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes affectionately says of Dr. Watson, who narrates the tales, "I am lost without my Boswell."
The comedy Young Auchinleck (1962) by Scottish playwright Robert McLellan depicts Boswell's v…
Early life
Boswell was born in Blair's Land on the east side of Parliament Close behind St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on 29 October 1740 (N.S.). He was the eldest son of a judge, Alexander Boswell, Lord Auchinleck, and his wife Euphemia Erskine. As the eldest son, he was heir to his family's estate of Auchinleck in Ayrshire. Boswell's mother was a strict Calvinist, and he felt that his father was cold to hi…
European travels
It was around three months after this first encounter with Johnson that Boswell departed for Europe with the initial goal of continuing his law studies at Utrecht University. He spent a year there and although desperately unhappy the first few months, eventually quite enjoyed his time in Utrecht. He befriended and fell in love with Isabelle de Charrière, also known as Belle van Zuylen, a vivacious young Dutchwoman of unorthodox opinions, his social and intellectual superior. Bosw…
Mature life
Boswell returned to London in February 1766 accompanied by Rousseau's mistress, with whom he had a brief affair on the journey home. After spending a few weeks in the capital, he returned to Scotland, buying (or perhaps renting) the former house of David Hume on James Court on the Lawnmarket. He studied for his final law exam at Edinburgh University. He passed the exam and became an
Life of Samuel Johnson
When the Life of Samuel Johnson was published in 1791 it at once commanded the admiration that Boswell had sought for so long, and it has since suffered no diminution. Its style was unique in that, unlike other biographies of that era, it directly incorporated conversations that Boswell had noted down at the time for his journals. He also included far more personal and human details than those …
As an abolitionist
Boswell was present at the meeting of the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in May 1787 set up to persuade William Wilberforce to lead the abolition movement in Parliament. However, the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson records that by 1788 Boswell "after having supported the cause ... became inimical to it". Boswell's most prominent display of support for slavery was his 1791 poem "No Abolition of Slavery; or the Universal Empire of Love", which lampooned Clark…
Discovery of papers
In the 1920s a great part of Boswell's private papers, including intimate journals for much of his life, were discovered at Malahide Castle, north of Dublin. These provide a hugely revealing insight into the life and thoughts of the man. They were sold to the American collector Ralph H. Isham and have since passed to Yale University, which has published popular and scholarly editions of his journals and correspondence. A second cache was discovered soon after and also purchase…