The technique of narrating in Samuel Johnson's Life of Savage and James Boswell's Life of Johnson - Essay Example

The technique of narrating in Samuel Johnson's "Life of Savage" and James Boswell's "Life of Johnson" Introduction The technique employed in Samuel Johnson's "Life of Richard Savage"and James Boswell's "Life of Johmson"is the strong autobiographical element. A detailed analysis of these books reflect the writers personal thoughts. It is indicative of their life and also how they wanted themselves to be in life. Boswell got to meet Johnson when he was in his teens. He took a fancy for Johnson and wanted to be like him.

Johnson on the other hand had faced difficulties in life and sought a life of comfort and fame. Both the writers characterize themselves in the third person in their books, "Life of Richard Savage", and "Life of Johnson".Narrative TechniqueWhat is common to Johnson's Life of Savage and Boswell's Life of Johnson is the strong autobiographical component. During one of their meetings, Johnson told Boswell that nobody could write the life of a man, without having lived with him. True to his words, Boswell wrote a biography on Johnson called "Life of Johnson" after having spent many years with him.

In the book, we find that in more than one way, there are incidents that point to Boswell. "Life of Johnson" in some respects is a reflection of Boswell's autobiography. The reference to Johnson as a great barrister, "The world became a great court in which Johnson, its supreme barrister, scores fantastic victories - the dream of the unsuccessful lawyer Boswell"1 relates to Boswell's inner feelings Boswell had wanted to be a barrister but never got to be one. Boswell used Johnson to identify himself.

Johnson lied imprisoned, wrote a critic signifying Boswell's manipulation of the character Johnson to project his inner self. On the contrary, Johnson's "Life of Richard Savage" characterizes the violent, dark life that he led. Analogical to RL Stevenson's "Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", Holmes tells us how Johnson's romantic account of Savage's early life, reflected his strong desire to experience such love and comfort that was not to be. Johnson tries to identify himself with the protagonist. The book is a stark reminder of the life Johnson craved for but never experienced.

ConclusionDespite their literary strength, both Johnson and Boswell led unsatisfied and incomplete lives. What they wanted to achieve was brought to life through their writing in "The Life of Richard Savage" and "Life of Johnson. Boswell wrote about Johnson to escape from himself. However, their literary work stood out. ReferencesMichael Holroyd, The Guardian, Saturday, June 1, 2002, Our friends the Dead, http://books.guardian.co.uk/guardianhayfestival2002/story/0,11873,725683,00.html