Samuel-Johnson-塞缪尔·约翰逊

SamuelJohnsonandhisfamousletterThedayJunethe18thof1746isamilestoneinthehistoryofEnglishdictionary.Onthisday,apoverty-strickenscholarsignedanimpressivecontractwithapublisherinLondon.HedecidedtocompilethefirstEnglishdictionaryonhisown.ThisextraordinaryintellectualisSamuelJohnson,agreatBritishpoet,essayist,literarycritic,biographerandlexicographer.WhydoIcallthecontractimpressive?Forthecompilingjobistootryingandarduoustobeimagined.Ittook40yearsand40scholarstofinishtheFrenchDictionaryin1694.However,Dr.Johnson,afrailman,accomplishedthisunmatchabledictionaryinaveryshortperiodtimeofsevenyears!Gatheringmaterial,confirmingtheglossary,explainingoriginsanddefinitionsofwords,hefinishedtheseworkallbyhimself.ItisthisdictionarythatbroughtJohnsontodistinction.Itestablishedhisstatusandanannualpensionof300poundsweregrantedtohimbythecrown,whichenabledhimtolivewithoutanymorefinancialcare.AndhewasawardedadoctoraldegreebytheUniversityofBerlinandOxford.Yousee,thisdictionaryisamagnetforfame.Thus,LordChesterfield,arichanddistinguishedpoliticianandawell-knownwriterhimself,recognizeditsworthandpublishedtwoarticlestowarmlypraiseitandregardeditscompilertheauthorityoflanguageandlexicography.However,inhislettertoLordChesterfield,Johnsondeclaredthat“tobesodistinguished,isanhonor,which,beingverylittleaccustomedtofavorsfromthegreat,Iknownotwellhowtoreceive,orinwhattermstoacknowledge.”WhydidherefuseLordChesterfield’spraise?Itwentlikethis:Atthetime,LordChesterfield,arichanddistinguishedpoliticianandawell-knownwrierhimself,wasfamedforhiskindnesstowardstartersinliterature.In1747,JohnsonproposedaplananddedicationtoChesterfield,requestingthelatter’spatronageandsupport.However,whenJohnsonwenttovisitChesterfield,hewaskeptwaitingforalongtimeandwastreateddismissivelybyChesterfield.Johnsonhadsufferedthelong7yearsoflonelystruggleanddifficulties,now,howcouldhe,adignifiedanduncourtlyscholarreceivedthebelatedendorsement!Soinhisletter,hepouredoutallhisinjuredandpoignantfeelings,hegaveanaccountofwhathavehappenedwhenhewenttoseekhelpfromChesterfieldsevenyearsago.Thetoneisblunt,hesays“nomaniswellpleasedtohavehisallneglected,beiteversolittle”.Fromthis,wecanfeeltheangerandragethatareseethingunderthesurface.Andinthenextparagraph,hefurthercriticizedChesterfieldandexposedhishypocrisy.Heusesalongcomplexsentenceandironytodeclarethatheneverhadapatronbefore.Also,withanallusiontoGreekclassicliterature:“theshepherdinVirgilgrewatlastacquaintedwithlove,andfoundhimanativeoftherocks,”Johnsonindicatesthatonecanneverfindarealpatronin“civilized”Englandjustaslovecouldn’tbefoundamongstRomans.Moreover,inthefollowingparagraph,JohnsonappliesparallelismtofurtherjustifyhisrejectionofChesterfield’spatronage.Weallknowthatparallelismandrepetitiontogethermakeaveryformidablepairinforcefulwritingofanykind.Here,theusingofparallelismemphasizesJohnson’srefusalandreaffirmshisstandconcerningChesterfield’sself-patronage.SamuelJohnson’sletter,withitsdignifiedandweightystyle,hasbeentakenasafineexampleoftheEnglishproseeversince.Itusheredinanewageofmarketeconomyinwhichthewriterswoulddependontheirreadersfordevelopmentandprosperity.