|
Written by Bronwen Hickman
|
|
Monday, 13 September 2010 20:20 |
|
At the Johnson seminar on July 24, I read people a picture of Johnson through the eyes of Fanny Burney. She noted his likes and dislikes; how he despised the Whigs and their policies, how loyal he was to Oxford University and how derisive of Cambridge men; his poor opinion of the Scots, and so on. So you can imagine how much I enjoyed the anecdote I found in Simon Winchester’s book The Meaning of Everything which I have just finished reading.
The book tells the story of the publication of the huge Oxford English Dictionary, and the years of labour by James Murray and his team to bring it into existence. A skilled amateur philologist, Murray was the son of a linen draper, a lowland Scot and a Calvinist. He claimed to have had a dream that illustrated Samuel Johnson’s likely reaction to Murray's appointment in 1879 as the editor of the Dictionary.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by The Western Idler
|
|
Monday, 13 September 2010 20:18 |
|
It was a great pleasure to see so many of you at the Annual Seminar in July. I thought that the new format worked very well. Many new faces were to be seen, including some younger people. After such a momentous year, as was the 300th anniversary in 2009, I believe that we all need to make an extra effort to ensure that the enthusiasm generated over that 12 months is continued into the future. Hopefully, by the time the next seminar rolls around, Elizabeth and I will be living in Victoria. I hope to take a much more active part in the Society when we complete our move.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Bryan Reid
|
|
Sunday, 05 September 2010 01:34 |
|
JSA committee member Bryan Reid was interviewed by ABC Radio National on the history and aims of the JSA. Follow this link to hear the broadcast on the Lingua Franca session, presented by Maria Zijlstra on August 28 2010. |
|
|
Written by Bryan Reid
|
|
Wednesday, 25 August 2010 05:36 |
|
The 2010 Fleeman Memorial lecture will be delivered by Professor John Wiltshire after our Annual General Meeting at the English Speaking Union 146 West Toorak Road, South Yarra at 2.30pm on Saturday,October 2.
John’s subject will be Samuel Johnson and Literary Ladies, a discussion of Johnson's encouragement to, and friendship with, intellectual women.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Bryan Reid
|
|
Tuesday, 16 March 2010 20:52 |
|
Samuel Johnson and the Wide Brown Land was the Title of a lecture given by our Western Idler, John Byrne, on March 17 to the institute of Advanced Studies at the university of Western Australia.
In the lecture, John discussed the faint but fascinating presence of Johnson and his circle in this continent, from the earliest days of English exploration and settlement on the east coast, through to the growth of Johnsonian scholarship to the present day.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Newer 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Older > End >>
|
|
Page 4 of 12 |
