Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Blog Post #5

Much to my supreme annoyance, I realized that I read Johnson's section of the Journey for tomorrow over the weekend with the result that what I am reading from Johnson and Boswell does not match up. It was not my intention to add to the confusion, but it can't be helped now.

Johnson: Inverness
Johnson's report on the trip to Scotland is highly informative and factual. He writes as though he is preparing a travel book, focusing on people, scenery, and lodging. It was interesting that he mentioned the food in Inverness being as "coarse as the feasts of Eskimeaux." He seems to be very eager to show off his wealth of knowledge, and that detracts from the travel book feel somewhat. His views are also evident here: "They must be content to owe to the English elegance and culture."

Boswell:
Boswell's goal is to record almost every word that comes out of Johnson's mouth. The two of them are like Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Johnson seems to be unable to resist the opportunity to argue with each of his hosts and guides as soon as he is introduced to them. I found it to be quite amusing as well as rude. I also enjoyed Boswell's descriptions of Johnson having to switch horses frequently because they were exhausted from carrying his weight.

No comments:

Post a Comment