The Form of Samuel Johnson’s Letters

LETTERS MATTERED TO Samuel Johnson in various ways: as a useful means of communicating about business; to convey instructions and requests; to make charitable appeals; to offer words of consolation and encouragement; to transmit news and, more rarely, to comment upon public affairs; above all, to stave off solitude by occupying himself in writing to friends and therefore have reason to anticipate the next post. How much care Johnson took over writing letters is questionable; certainly, the look of letters mattered to him, as it did to most eighteenth century letter-writers. It is an integral part of their meaning, often since sacrificed to the constraints of producing modern printed editions. R. W. Chapman acknowledged a necessary omission in his edition of the author’s Letters (1952) concerning the transition from manuscript to printed version: In one not unimportant point I have deserted my originals. Johnson, like many others of his time, normally ‘displayed’ his conclusions, which at their most elaborate might, if space allowed, run to five or six lines. The motive of this was partly deference, but it was partly aesthetic. Now when letters are printed consecutively this display is extravagant, and not merely ceases to be decorative but becomes an offence to the eye. I have therefore telescoped the subscriptions throughout.1 Johnson’s displayed conclusions are ostentatious exhibitions of proper epistolary etiquette in the sense that they are courteous gestures and at the same time exaggerations of ‘form’ as ‘elegance of appearance’ and ‘[r]egularity; method; order’ (Dictionary, 1755). Indeed, in his Rambler essay of 1751 on epistolary writing, Johnson argued that the formal arrangement of correspondence was possibly the only aspect of letter-writing that constituted a working definition of this mode. Letters, he wrote, ‘cannot be properly reduced to settled rules, or described by any single characteristic; and we may safely disentangle our minds from critical embarrassments, by determining that a letter has no peculiarity but its form … Pleasure will generally be given, as abilities are displayed by scenes of imagery, points of conceit, unexpected sallies and artful compliments. Trifles always require exuberance of ornament’.2 ‘Ornament’ here primarily means verbal embellishment, but it also extends to the mise-en-page. For Johnson, the only remarkable facet of a letter is its form: the shape and arrangement of its otherwise inconsequential parts. In his criticism of epistolary writing, Johnson argues that the letter derives its meaning from the interplay of verbal expression and material artefact; he ends his Rambler essay on the subject by reminding his readers that familiar letters (‘written when no intelligence is communicated, or business transacted’) are mostly written to ‘preserve in the minds of the absent either love or esteem’; the primary purpose of taking care over the words of a letter is to make the letter stand for ‘things’ of higher value (Works, v. 47). By the middle of the eighteenth century, letters had also become a valuable commodity intrinsically influenced by changing concepts of authorial fame and celebrity. In Johnson’s hand, the public conventions of letter-writing style – salutations, quotation and allusion, signatures, spatial elements – play off against a more personal writing experience conducted between sender and recipient, which is individual and particular. Johnson wrote his letters in an era that put much emphasis on epistolary presentation and was conscious of the paper a letter was written on, the format and layout, the space given to the salutations and signatures, the handwriting, and the choice of carrier.3 As was customary for his time, Johnson’s letters tended to be a bifolium made of a single in to and wrote on the often on the and on the The was made by the letter to a which was Johnson’s handwriting, is not or or and The of Johnson’s correspondence of letters and are of letters or letter in the As his letters in the of his are on in the form of and made at the time of Johnson did as for letters to be to him, and and not made made of his most to – an of its public may this if – and as have for public and are of his epistolary this that Johnson to the of the by an as to a in of his for writing was from the in in the of the Johnson since the it that a of letters or has not to The of his letters to the in which Johnson in his wrote a remarkable of he often his and a of writing as a that on in a The of in Johnson’s writing, was also often to his of he that the wrote in and, not to have written in letter-writing was either a or on Johnson’s to his The of Johnson’s letters was to a an epistolary the of or that their was not a letters Johnson in he had not to in is part of their for him, to his more of a of In a letter to that ends in Johnson on the of he himself the not I have upon I had no of when I the In from Johnson an to to but his on and time to and I most In Johnson is to on paper that the is as when he a letter to that he had not to for not a letter to of the of it an in the of my a Johnson did not love the of and his are a letter to in of but he it a letter that he be The to letters not to have to his epistolary that his friends to and at but also that he letters more but The to the of his writing are the letters Johnson wrote to which he himself writing to he described to the as if I was writing to of between and of much of his also be in his on which is of Johnson to in for not as I be as I be and is when on one he the for of more the of was often by the of the Johnson a in in that it was that we letters and the same the of he was that to the and sense of against his at letters not is to that Johnson to of letters and but not to have of the of Johnson’s letters is has The this of in in the of for his concerning he and in the eighteenth to a letter in the middle of the paper at the of and of and not to one of the space of or between and the to a but the of an and if to any and in the same or … letters at the of may it at the for it is much more to it at the … any or in Johnson’s correspondence is an In his letter to the of and of for the between the and the of the of the letter proper the higher of its from Samuel Johnson to of In as to the of the Johnson’s is in his correspondence and the from Samuel Johnson to an of the and of Johnson’s Letters of this written Johnson was are in of their of space his is a sense of display – by the of his handwriting, the space between and the of his – in most of the letters written he has become an from Samuel Johnson to of Johnson’s epistolary and Johnson’s to proper epistolary was not always an to of to the style of his which took to to a of as if an had a of in Johnson’s as to to this letter is one the of epistolary more generally in of The between and was a In an letter to had a of Johnson is by an of by a which their … no when they to love as he it in his is and described in that to the of was as our by and and Johnson’s is on the subject and may be to made to have of and by and I if any of had a as Johnson’s letters and to the in which familiar letter-writing the of that Johnson against in the of (Works, The is a in the gestures of and that are letter-writing in the Johnson’s letters their emphasis of the between sender and is often in a In a letter of to was from Johnson his his have and and the of the … I have only at and to which I have not Johnson to the in as and the is often a one between of the in which Johnson the of the letter to of in an otherwise to the letter I to to that which my to or for on I most Johnson In the manuscript we that Johnson the in this in of printed or his It is the only time Johnson in this in the that I have The letter is and it is therefore to its It is an an to a in a Johnson is of the of form in its The the of of for Johnson to this and to and for that they when they as Johnson wrote be at is the of the to which and and of which the from Samuel Johnson to Johnson that letters are a that was subject to in the eighteenth as the Johnson’s of his and most of its readers by his and edition of his Letters to and from the Samuel Johnson also partly from personal of and partly to about the of authorial that they letters as to have but to have Johnson of epistolary the personal and he from edition of as the to as he wrote to in the that letters like to of that of for Indeed, had the in an Johnson about the between authorial and of is become much the to that in to I put as as I as as letters be as of Johnson’s epistolary writing is that he wrote about and this from this have in part to against public Johnson that was to the for letters about their in the of Johnson’s in Rambler the business of the is often to over and which … display the of (Works, As one of the to his letters in his to any of his letters as part of his in and about epistolary style and the of the public as a Johnson wrote in his of that was no that to and epistolary … a letter is a and in the of in the of and no to by his Johnson’s points to the of the at a and an of writing to by its unexpected of imagery, conceit, and Johnson’s concerning to his in the of his correspondence not to as has letter its has that of in his correspondence is that his letters to be in to the of their on to that letters as Johnson wrote on his of epistolary and the of his of to Johnson’s words – that to to their – the of the the from and the of was partly it between the and the that Johnson’s emphasis on the of letter-writing displayed signatures, writing to in a the of the form and meaning is from the of of and took to the of epistolary and this Johnson’s to the of his letters is if not had a of a of personal letters in In his 1751 edition of that the letters only which or any of our of familiar Johnson this writing in his of that the had an he had no or Johnson was of the of letter-writing as and this as in and in he here in criticism is in to his is not to to familiar and that be in the of and (Works, v. In in his of Johnson a of of letters in which is of he a of century as as by the and and Letters, and of of of in Johnson the letters as by on upon but his for his of writing that that his epistolary that to and to his had more of his the that Johnson to writing, in a to by are a of Letters, from the modern a of Letters, upon of and of Letters from a of the for and criticism upon on if In of his took the that Johnson did not have an on at the of Johnson, had not this of their but their letter they be letters to have written any sense of for readers his given we about W. a in the concerning the of epistolary at to have that his letters mostly to for the of and they many of and, many letters and Johnson is a more and to he had a of his in his it and of the about this his In his criticism of familiar letters in Rambler Johnson to as of did not the letters the was to have in the form: Letters that between if they are written as they to be to the for their and of the of to they In his on epistolary style the Rambler essay and his of and in his Johnson about his in epistolary this was a that an of was to a more modern sense of by the between the edition of the in which the as from the and the edition it becomes and has modern as of fame by and the of to the this of to the middle of the As an valuable the letters of part of the of and Johnson for in the for their The of letter-writing of a sense that letters are part of an of and and it as an expression of the value of Johnson to his in as his letters always he therefore not their value by an letter to Johnson the that his by the of my that I to by the of his when Johnson was by the to for time, and he the of in letters to and of the of their epistolary writing to from his of in Johnson to a letter value In one on its become in its Letters as this to any I but since they to for I to I have no to a letter to one from of and I not have that is in the a most has to Johnson as and make his to also The of the and of his letters this the letter is and a of and an of that or and the of of from a and the of the as and in the of an that was the has its in criticism has as has a between the and the personal Johnson himself was of this and familiar letters often to In to the of the in Johnson of his when he that his of my which my have upon a is not by more familiar As we have the of Johnson’s personal his – his and letters – about the of and as the of critical The of Johnson’s epistolary writing is often in the letters to are a point of emphasis and, as in his he or by in this is not and it is to a not in any this from a of writing to the of the and to a Johnson to play the letter and and and of Johnson’s most letters to written the when he was and writing his of the and his critical on The as and part of their from an of that from to letters of a and this Johnson to to he to be an and to the critical his and to to a to the and of his personal between the form of the letter and the are in a letter to of which the of Now the in the for a letter about a letter as of like of transition like the The of and of Now of I to but and not the of upon the of the which the is to modern I had are in one is I have to but I I not much have any for I and most not Johnson here his criticism of as an of and of (Works, The of this letter is on Johnson’s in on of and his from and himself as the of one of the most of the eighteenth The letter the of expression is by the and of The is a reminding of the of epistolary and part of a between about their one the the a of formal The over letters and Johnson’s of a that and and as as are only from The of the Johnson wrote and, the he often to sallies of – – is in the a quotation from in his letters to are in Johnson’s of and which to be as the of a of epistolary which and to the of Johnson’s epistolary style here that of Samuel the of correspondence when he to his to be at the of his have in upon the to my – the in … a and – my The letters between and in this Johnson’s are or – they are more in of their and not the to the letters in The of many of Johnson’s letters for a his often a – for the of a he in a as if he is a – the is one in which he himself as the of the Johnson is much more to play he to the of one of my are from Johnson is much more on against the as has put to has that Johnson’s familiar letters be as to the form: he in his but as the epistolary is as a of and The most of the style of Johnson’s writing is his letter to of in which he the that a Letters his As as a style as his epistolary in the of that the verbal of also one of letters has that of Johnson to letters in their printed as of a and the of a letter of of the of the most of letter-writing the of the letter that to to the in Johnson is to the eighteenth century that the of letter-writing is on of or at from the of and the one hand, he form as a part of on the he in was about it as a necessary of in to a of he he have this to this to my from he wrote, I not to of Johnson as in his in and a Johnson was of letters by the of that be written to one be for of the of letters derives from Johnson’s to the material of writing in solitude and the of the the of quotation to a Johnson often his as he of have always the of he to in upon and of I upon and the of the and the of the I in the solitude of not to be and not to be in he to this has a which is not to on at here for my and I of it time at – in and to and I of it at are for – on, and the I not a I about and is but the but I have not had my I have for become of the if a of this the most and most The of from one in to Johnson he of himself to he had for is I of and a The the in his letter to The from a about on is a to the which is in a from of not either is also an to the the to is by the between the of the and Johnson’s writing next its news that be a on the on the of its to be in only the of The of and and therefore not to is a about the of familiar as Johnson in in the as a of familiar an of his The of that Johnson in this letter himself about by is an aspect to and has Johnson between himself and in his letters to be to and is not to a in Johnson’s from the – himself to – to the – letter from is like a letter from of when he wrote the to himself as and of and, in a he to on from the to a more which that quotation part of a of and a of have to look my and that I all, that which I have of the of is a of to on the of The time that Johnson to the in his letters is in a comment about in he will be for he may on the to a made to a about his and in the are to about a to Johnson’s to a is an which a about and as off others the of the quotation to make a that a of Johnson to the in to and of the are of a In a letter of that he as Johnson How this will be by I I will but and he time he this be I it I that when I I of and to will be in a and by and it be but of letters and that has their of be is a The of which as as to as a to as public had for Johnson, authorial was in his and for the of a that of was In Johnson the when he the of a on his of was one of as as a between and I made a The to here – my by a and my a to stand – make a of as any to on that had most of in more Johnson’s to the it in that anticipate or may he in the of I love and love and have the same if I no subject to The of Johnson and as a of and was by the of personal correspondence in and by either have by Johnson as a to their letters their by in that Johnson not from the in his of he and this when he that criticism … not quotation to his to on his of Johnson’s quotation of therefore has in Johnson’s criticism as of in which and become of and Johnson’s in are in to the that Johnson and are in of the and they a of that of in will be of one is a sense in letters of a the that letters and a that letter the in Johnson the that one will the Johnson an epistolary that is an I in one of his letters to to that we may and when we it is to is only one time when Johnson the in a that he wrote to his his for in which he to to to letters an aspect of the form that their one point in his of the their letters the of his I the epistolary that was in the their which I to our of letter not only to and but to and and of that is not is to himself for his … in his letters on the of in of and in the of the of Johnson conclusions more and, in of … they more How to a letter eighteenth century to convey their epistolary that Samuel made in his to a letter written to in the of the of the letter from most and to the more to in the most to and the most and the of a to his or subject the of a is a of a individual as as a public of of the words is of epistolary as that printed by in against much space Johnson he wrote about but his definition a letter of inconsequential the has to to to and to be but put and is the but (Dictionary, 1755). The that in is a of Johnson’s to which often make a of to the of a Johnson the and of an in to the of and its ends his letter a most most and most the manuscript of the letter the of his which the space of a Samuel Johnson to of as a form that the and from the which this The of as a that is and an of to Johnson’s concerning the of his and The that this letter was all, the in which Johnson the edition of his the that his fame and his of himself as a public and made the stand Samuel Johnson, of the W. the of Johnson’s or letter was his at from when he was as a also an authorial as by the various of his that when he was Johnson’s be often the over to in the R. W. Chapman a The of this is his proper to Johnson’s but for he had I have from that of in which I much most the same time, Johnson and familiar the is not an at but a for epistolary letter from to to to as as which in to his the and to he ends his letter a of this a a a or not at the of as we have his to any or Johnson’s style of writing is as has argued of his a of or of that their is or that they are in a Johnson the of in a as to make conscious play of the of a familiar by Johnson as as as by or (Dictionary, 1755). The of the was a in Johnson’s about the of as a form for Rambler is by a letter to of Johnson, writing from that he has to to since his letter an about the a a in which is in our and much they above an Johnson this and that the are like the of is The higher at at the of the of one Johnson his and in which the transition a of not that I wrote this letter for the of for when I I had his in my but was to and did not I had to but my The here is to and the of the be the in that Johnson was to he the are when he and his are but and a about time and a epistolary emphasis in Johnson’s of the of and to from of a that a is that in time letters as and that is that may to the of a letter as of signatures, are by their and in to to be time by the material of this in one of Johnson’s letters to of the written is more and the space we the to be is a The is a on the as an that my may become more to and when the to him, for the of to that letters Johnson to – of merely – a transition from to The becomes a of letter in for a and the of its of the of is by its we the to The of a to this letter the it the that the is a by Johnson as a and a this letter is for it is for a a sense of epistolary space as Johnson had to his letters over their to its Samuel Johnson to The is also a of and we the the letter was writing, and when are the of The was letters and has the subject of much criticism on his epistolary not the to the the that one of Johnson’s letters to and his The was a in Johnson’s epistolary changing the that often his to and was a part of the display of his conclusions, to in his letter to I will if is written the a as has the of the as the of writing that the and as has material of of and the sense that the sense of For Johnson, the letter was a of the of and a point in an of when Johnson, upon a is to have – we no letters in the Johnson was of a and he was much to that in the in which he of the letter as a for and the of meaning he was to as one of his as an made any in a the more formal of Johnson’s letters in their and only in The familiar letter in manuscript to it was in a of a more in For Johnson, the letter was not an of but one of meaning not be upon its but be letter has no but its and this form Johnson to – the space of a and the of