Samuel Johnson, A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland

Lance Wilcox (Elmhurst College)

Ed. by Nicholas Seager, University of Keele
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1775

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Guidebooks / Travel writing

Resources

In January 1775, the great English essayist, critic, biographer, and poet Samuel Johnson moved outside his usual literary terrain to publish A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland, his one contribution to the genre of travel writing. A short 137 pages in the most recent critical edition (Fleeman, 1985), the Journey gives an account of the strenuous three-month tour of Scotland the elderly Johnson undertook by coach, horse, foot, and boat with his young Scottish friend and future biographer, James Boswell. Though it has never received the critical attention of Johnson’s other major writings, its casual episodic structure, lucid, dignified prose, and searching reflections on Scottish life make the Journey<…

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2583 words

Citation: Wilcox, Lance. "A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 April 2017 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7164, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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