...the educative specificity of biography, introducing the key observation that "there has rarely passed a life of which a judicious and faithful narrative would not be useful." Johnson defends this democratization of subject matter by invoking a measure of value based...

...instruction to every diversity of condition [...].! have often thought that there has rarely passed a Life of which a judicious and faithful narrative would not be useful. For, not only every man has, in the mighty mass of the world, great numbers in the same condition...

...personal experience of the ordinary individual: "I have often thought that there has rarely passed a life of which a judicious and faithful narrative would not be useful" (Rambler 6o, 1n, 32o). In biography and the sentimental histories of the Scottish Enlightenment,...

...peace with Dr Johnson and has accepted his challenge: 'I have often thought that there rarely passed a life of which a judicious and faithful narrative would not be useful.'6 Shields's pursuit of some of the questions that have sparked the debate of theorists of biography...

...you used for each in Questions 3 and 5 above. 304 Biographical Information "There has rarely passed a life of which a judicious and faithful narrative would not be useful." Samuel Johnson Introduction A biography is a written history of a person's life and accomplishments....

...nothing but their frequency makes considerable. *" [5] I have often thought that there has rarely passed a life of which a judicious and faithful narrative would not be useful; for not only every man has, in the mighty mass of the world, great numbers in the same condition...

...valuable and should be encouraged. Johnson's dictum should be recalled: that 'there has rarely passed a life of which a judicious and faithful narrative would not be useful'. In Johnson's view, knowledge of 'mistakes and miscarriages, escapes and expedients' are likely...

...much interest the common reader. He goes on to say, "I have often thought that there has rarely passed a life of which a judicious and faithful narrative would not be useful," a principle observed by each of our novelists in one way or another.31 No believer in human...

...Life Stories in Ethnographic Research KEN PLUMMER I have often thought that there has rarely passed useful ... (Samuel Johnson, c.1760) We are safe in saying that personal life records, as complete as...

...Jedes Leben ist für Johnson deshalb zunächst einmal biographiewürdig. [...] there has rarely passed a life of which a judicious and faithful narrative would not be useful. [...] There is such an uniformity in the state of man, considered apart from adventitious and...