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The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia - Samuel Johnson

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The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia - Samuel Johnson

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Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) was "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history," and for Carlyle an exemplar of literary heroism. Known not only for his classic dictionary of the English language, Johnson was also a famous poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor, and novelist of "The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia" (1759).

"Rasselas" (originally titled "The Choice of Life") is a philosophical romance about bliss and ignorance. The story follows the titular prince of Abyssinia, living in the so-called "Happy Valley," who, despite having his every need met, finds himself bored and dissatisfied with life. He decides to flee the valley with his sister, Nekayah, and the poet-philosopher Imlac to discover the secret to human happiness.

John Courtenay describes the novel as "Impressive truth, in splendid fiction drest." Boswell claims that the work, with a touch of "morbid melancholy," has "all the charms of oriental imagery, and all the forces and beauty of which the English language is capable," adding: "The fund of thinking which this work contains is such that almost every sentence of it may furnish a subject of long meditation."

The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia:

Supplemental:

Extracts:

  • "When I looked around the verdant recess in which I was buried, and gazed up to the summits of the lofty eminence that hemmed me in, I was well disposed to think that I was in the ‘Happy Valley’, and that beyond those heights there was naught but a world of care and anxiety." (Typee, 17)
  • "...he who declared he loved a good hater was but a respectable sort of Hottentot, at best. No very genteel epithet this, though coming from the genteelest of men [Johnson]. But when the digger of dictionaries said that saying of his, he was assuredly not much of a Christian. However, it is hard for one given up to constitutional hypos like him; to be filled with the milk and meekness of the gospels. Yet, with deference, I deny that my old uncle Johnson really believed in the sentiment ascribed to him." (Mardi, 1.13)

This meetup is part of a series on The Crescent and the Cross.

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