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Sto caricando le informazioni... An account of the life of Mr. Richard Savage : son of the Earl Riversdi Samuel Johnson
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The Life of Mr Richard Savagewas the first important book by a then-unknown Grub Street hack, Samuel Johnson. Richard Savage (1697--1743) was a poet, playwright, and satirist who claimed to be the illegitimate son of a late earl and to have been denied his inheritance and viciously persecuted by his mother. He was urbane, charming, a brilliant conversationalist, but also irresponsible and impulsive. His role in a tavern brawl almost led him to the gallows, though his life was saved by an eleventh-hour pardon by the King. Over time he attracted many supporters, practically all of whom he managed to alienate by the time of his death in a debtors' prison in Bristol. Johnson, who had been friends with Savage for a little over a year, drew on published documents and his own memories of Savage to produce one of the first great English biographies. The edition is supplemented by other writings by Johnson, a selection of Savage's prose and verse, contemporary and posthumous responses to Savage and to Johnson's biography, and selections by Johnson's first two major biographers, Sir John Hawkins and James Boswell. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni... GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)820.9006Literature English & Old English literatures English literature in more than one form History, description, critical appraisal of works in more than one formClassificazione LCVotoMedia:
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Savage was born to a woman of aristocracy, but his father was one of several possibilities. From her immediate rejection of her baby, along with her openness as to her promiscuous behavior, and if it's to be believed, her attempt to sell the boy into slavery, she was mentally unhinged, which gave Savage a horrible start in life. Revenge against her became a huge part of his adult life. Once he began writing, exposing her treatment towards him made it's way into just about everything he published, including a widely distributed poem entitled The Bastard and even a birthday poem to Queen Anne, in which he wrote:
Two fathers join'd to rob my claim of one!
My mother too thought fit to have no son!
When Savage wrote, it was for one of two reasons-immediate money or revenge. He drank heavily and there are several instances given where he threatened to publish a reputation-ruining poem unless given the money he demanded. His image of himself was much grander than his reputation as a poet or person, and this led to his incessantly hitting up friends for money without any feeling that he was expected to pay it back. He pushed people to do favors for him, leading one to say that they had spoken to the King on his behalf, and had been promised that Savage would be the next Poet Laureate, a supposed promise that Savage relied on heavily. When another poet was named Laureate, Savage named himself "Volunteer Laureate" and published under this title for a time, even though he was confronted by the actual Laureate.
About halfway through this book, which is the length of a novella, I began to wonder if this was a parody because Savage is so self-absorbed, such an unbelievable leech, that I wondered if I was reading fiction. Nope, it's real. Then I wondered if Johnson had actually liked him at all, as each reason or excuse for Savage's oafish behavior is countered immediately with how the man went on, in any given situation, to make things so much worse. This is superb. The combination of Savage's ability to stomp on everyone's charitable intentions and Johnson's ability to write about his friend with a critical eye is a very entertaining read. Recommended! ( )