Dr Johnson as a Critic and Biographer

Answer

Consider Dr Johnson as a critic and biographer with special reference to “The Life of Cowley.”  Or Comment on Dr Samuel Johnson as a critic and biographer. Or Discuss Johnson’s art of writing a biography.

Samuel Johnson (1709 -1784) was an English writer who made lasting contributions to English literature as a literary critic and biographer. He had once told a Scottish biographer, James Boswell, “The biographical part of literature is what I love most.” Samuel Johnson is presented as a biographer and critic, referencing his essay “The Life of Cowley.”

Samuel Johnson, as a Biographer

A biography is a story of a person’s life written by someone else. It has long been one of the most popular forms of prose writing. Johnson, as a biographer, can be characterized by the following qualities.

Maintenance of objectivity and balance: Dr Samuel Johnson has always attempted to be objective and balanced while writing a biography. His tactful narrative skill satisfies the reader’s curiosity and creates a thirst for reading to gain further understanding. “Life of Cowley” follows a three-part plan, including Johnson’s accounts, Cowley’s suggestive and evocative biography, and a summary of the main features of his writings. Thus, Johnson maintains objectivity and balance as a landmark biographer.

Representation of facts: A good biographer presents the facts about a person’s life. This information includes how the writer influenced his literary period. Johnson mentions that Cowley was influenced by John Donne and influenced his period with metaphysical concepts.

Interpretative nature: Most biographies are interpretative, and Dr. Johnson’s “Life of Cowley” is no exception. Johnson not only presents facts but also explains what those facts mean. In his essay on Cowley, Johnson defends Cowley’s neutrality. However, in defending Cowley, Johnson never loses his objectivity and balance.

Narrative force: The narrative force and psychological reality provide a lively flavour. Johnson’s “Life of Cowley” has the magical narrative force of a good novel. Critics have categorized Johnson as a classical biographer. At the very outset of the essay, Johnson defines genius and describes how Cowley became “irrecoverably a poet.”

Johnson, as a Critic

Literary Criticism means the art or practice of judging and commenting on the qualities and character of literary works. In the essay “Life of Cowley,” Johnson talks about the metaphysical poets, examining Cowley’s significant works.

No man could be born a metaphysical poet, nor assume the dignity of a writer, …… hereditary similes, by readiness of rhyme, and volubility of syllables.

Cowley as Metaphysical Poet: Johnson first tries to categorize Cowley as a metaphysical poet because Cowley, in his poems, uses similes, metaphors, conceits, and other styles that are similar to metaphysical poets.

Wit like other things, subject by their nature to the choice of man,

has its changes and fashions, and, at different times, takes different forms.

Finding Faults: Finding faults for evaluation and judgment is essential to literary criticism. As a critic, Johnson has not spared William Shakespeare, let alone Cowley. He defines metaphysical poetry with fault. According to Johnson:

The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together.

Besides, Johnson asserts that metaphysical poets have failed to attain the sublimity of art. According to Johnson, metaphysical poets never tried to understand the greatness of thought. The conceit they use is packed up with drawbacks.

Positive Sides: Literary Criticism does not discover only the negative sides of a literary work. Positive sides are equally asserted. Johnson praises Cowley as a love poet and compares him with Petrarch, an Italian poet.

As a biographer and critic, Johnson has enhanced the potential of English literature. As a critic, Johnson is such a genius that nobody can reject his opinions. Even T. S. Eliot has respected Johnson’s evaluation of metaphysical poets.