Samuel Johnson, the Ossian Fraud, and the Celtic Revival in Great - Britain and Irelan

A detailed investigation of Johnson's response to the Ossian controversy, with a transcription of a rare anti-Ossian pamphlet he co-authored.

List of contents

1. An introductory survey of scholarship on Ossian: why literary truth matters; 2. James Macpherson's violation of literary truth; 3. Johnson on truth, frauds, and folklore: in the company of Thomas Percy; 4. Searching for truth in the Highlands: Macpherson throws down the gauntlet; 5. Charles O'Conor and the Celtic Revival in Ireland; 6. Johnson and the Irish: more opposition to Ossian; 7. Johnson's last word on Ossian with William Shaw: a finale to controversy; Appendix: A Reply to Mr Clark (1782) by William Shaw in Association with Samuel Johnson; Bibliography; Index.

About the author

Thomas M. Curley is Professor of English at Bridgewater State College, Massachusetts.

Summary

This study presents the fullest investigation of the faked publication of the 'Ossian poems' to date. This book will be an important addition to knowledge about both the Ossian controversy and Samuel Johnson, with an appendix featuring a rare pamphlet against Ossian written with the assistance of Johnson himself.

Product details

• Authors: Thomas M. Curley, Thomas M. (Bridgewater State College Curley, Curley Thomas M.
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 10.07.2014
• EAN: 9781107425538
• ISBN: 978-1-107-42553-8
• No. of pages: 350
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > English linguistics / literary studies; English, Literature & literary studies, Literary studies: general, Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800, Literary studies: poetry and poets