Poetical Works of Johnson, Parnell, Gray, and Smollett With Memoirs, Critical Dissertations, and Explanatory Notes

"The Poetical Works of Johnson, Parnell, Gray, and Smollett" by Samuel Johnson et al. is a collection of poetry and biographical sketches compiled in the mid-19th century. This anthology brings together the works of several celebrated poets, focusing on their significant contributions to literature, along with critical essays and explanatory notes provided by the compiler, the Reverend George Gilfillan. The works featured delve into themes of human experience, societal observations, and personal reflections, showcasing the stylistic richness of poetry from that era. At the start of this collection, the opening discusses the life and early literary development of Samuel Johnson, one of the most prominent figures included. It describes his childhood, education, struggles with depression, and eventual emergence as a writer. Johnson's initial failures, various jobs, and his struggles to gain recognition are vividly portrayed, setting the tone for a deeper exploration of his work, particularly his poems such as "London" and "The Vanity of Human Wishes." This thorough introduction emphasizes Johnson's resilience and talent, providing context for the poems that follow in the anthology. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Samuel Johnson, often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography calls him "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history".