The History of Rasselas: Prince of AbissiniaCourier Corporation, 2012 M08 28 - 112 páginas Simply written, funny, and compulsively readable, this fine little book has been heralded as one of the finest examples of English prose and offers a compelling glimpse of Samuel Johnson’s moral views. Dashed out over the course of a single week to pay for his mother’s funeral, Johnson’s only novel was the outcome of a lifetime’s thoughts and experiences. A philosophical romance tracing the pilgrimage of an African prince and his companions to Egypt, Rasselas ponders a number of subjects — romantic love, flights of imagination, the great discoveries of science, and speculations about the meaning of happiness — all of which, Johnson implies, encourage man with false hopes and unrealistic estimates of what life has to offer. Directed specifically against eighteenth-century optimism and, more generally, against all simple formulas for achieving happiness, Rasselas has often been compared with Voltaire’s Candide — which was published only a few weeks before Johnson’s work. Both novels have deservedly attained the status of classics. |
Otras ediciones - Ver todas
The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia Samuel Johnson,Francis William Blagdon Vista completa - 1811 |
Términos y frases comunes
Abissinia able afford afraid amuse answered Imlac Arab astronomer attention Bassa began Cairo cavern CHAPTER chearful choice companions condition considered continued conversation curiosity danger delight desire discovered diversion domestick dreadful emperour endeavoured enjoy enquiry entered envy escape evil expect eyes fancy father favour favourite fear felicity folly happy valley heard hermit Hester Lynch Piozzi hope hope and fear human ignorance imagination Johnson knowledge labour lady learned lence less live looked maids mankind marriage mind misery mountains nature Nekayah ness never Nile observed once opinion palace Palestine passed passions Pekuah Persia persue pleased pleasure poet prince PRINCE OF ABISSINIA princess pyramid Rasselas reason Red sea resolved rest retired retreat returned sage Samuel Johnson silent solitude sometimes soon sorrow suffer supposed surely terrour things thou thought tion travelled virtue weary wonder youth