Talk:James Boswell
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I came to this page from the link at the bottom of this page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoppard - where there is a character is described as 'his Boswell'. The connection is not made either in the original page or this page. There needs to be some explanation of the term Boswell as a slang for a sidekick. Or should the link refer to an article in the Wikidictionary perhaps? - LC
- Well, there is a sort of explanation in the first section which reads "His name has passed into the English language as a term (Boswell, Boswellian, Boswellism) for a constant companion and observer". But it probably should have it's own entry instead of being in the actual bio of Boswell. --Thf1977 07:44, 12 May 2006 (UTC)
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- a more thorough explanation in this article is warranted. one can allude to the origin of this term as from his circle of elite friends: johnson, monboddo, goldsmith, kames etc and his role as a steadfast friend and companion within this circle, among the others of whom there was considerable intellectual friction and rivalry. i can add this text somewhere, since it is an important attribute he earned within his intellectual circle. cheers Anlace 13:24, 12 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Johnson quote and opinions
The chapter about Boswell's early life reads:
The first conversation between Johnson and Boswell is frequently quoted: Boswell: "Mr. Johnson, I do indeed come from Scotland, but I cannot help it." Johnson: "That, Sir, I find, is what a very great many of your countrymen cannot help." It is widely believed that Johnson despised the Scots; however, careful reading of Boswell and of Johnson shows that, while Johnson disliked the conditions under which most Scots lived (the rain and the poverty), he actually liked the people. He undertook lengthy walking tours of Scotland and spent much of his life in Boswell's company.
IMO, the first part belongs in WikiQuote, and the second part is more about Johnson than about Boswell, and should (if at all) be included in the former's article rather than the latter's. --Thf1977 13:49, 21 January 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Boswell and the Slave Trade
I put up links showing Boswell supported the barbaric slave trade and yet these have been deleted - why? Surely things like this are a matter of historical record - what is the point of denying them?
- I am guessing that they were removed because the additions were not particularly encyclopedic, and brushed are neutral point of view policy. I have been planning to rewrite this section, but have not had the time. I'll do it this afternoon. Rje 14:01, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
- Indeed, it should remain NPOV. Personally, I don't much mind the slavery section being here, but the it really isn't very important in the context of Boswell, and his views were hardly unusual for the time. Arthur Markham 13:02, 14 April 2007 (UTC)
- Perhaps the discussion in Life of Johnson on the subject might be added. Johnson was as strongly opposed to slavery as Boswell was in favour of it.Vexari (talk) 17:51, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Cite, and cite correctly!
Spotting the sentence, "When the Life of Johnson was published in 1791 it at once commanded the admiration that Boswell had sought for so long, and it has suffered no diminution since," I immediately suspected that this might not be the original writing of a Wikipedia editor. Google seems to indicate that it is from A Short Biographical Dictionary of English at http://www.fullbooks.com/A-Short-Biographical-Dictionary-of-English2.html . The site says "Thousands of Free-Text Books", but gives no other copyright information. The Dictionary and other works on this site seem to be in the public domain. Can anyone (A) verify this, (B) check whether anything else in this article should be attributed to this source, and (C) check whether anything else in this article should be attributed to other sources. -- Writtenonsand (talk) 16:18, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
