Samuel Johnson and the vocation of the author

Thesis

Much has been written about Samuel Johnson as a Christian, and much about him as an author; this study is about where the two meet, in the idea of the literary vocation. Though Johnson only uses the word ‘vocation’ a handful of times, it holds both the quotidian sense of a job and the more exalted notion of a divine call, a tension which informs Johnson’s thinking.

I begin with Johnson’s development as a religious writer, influenced by William Law’s contention that any form of life ...

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Authors: Hitchens, D

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-r8kan9ybg
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford