The Story of Civilization (10 volumes in total)

Author: Huayan Shi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-10-01
Features: This book is organized by civilizations, using concise, popular, interesting, and vivid language to introduce readers to the history of human civilization over thousands of years. It is a popular read on the history of human civilization. The civilizations described do not claim to encompass the entirety of human civilization, but they are broadly comprehensive. Telling the story of civilizations is not a book, but using such beautiful and vivid language to narrate human civilization is a book.
Excerpt: The literary eccentric Samuel Johnson was the center of attention in 18th-century British literature. Writers sprang up like mushrooms after rain, clashing with each other with pens, attacking each other in theory. The publishing industry was also exceptionally active. On this print of British literary life, there was a peculiar point—Samuel Johnson (1709—1784). He was an English writer, poet, literary critic, and lexicographer. Johnson was the literary leader of the second half of the 18th century and was also known as the strange man in literary history. Johnson came from a poor background. His father, Michael Johnson, was the owner of a small bookstore. His mother's family was somewhat noble. However, the frail Johnson from a young age did not receive much happiness. From the age of two and a half, he contracted scrofula. The severity of the illness left him using only one eye and one ear, and with other disasters, his appearance became disfigured. Such an appearance made Johnson an isolated personality. He suffered from depression and feared hell until the end of his life. At the age of seven, Johnson entered a grammar school to study Latin, receiving a strict education. At the age of 19, his parents sent him to Oxford University, where he became deeply fascinated with classical Greek and Latin. He even translated a long poem by the famous poet Pope in Latin and received praise. A year later, Johnson still dropped out of school due to poverty. He returned to his hometown and became an assistant teacher at a school. Soon, he grew tired of the job and moved to Birmingham. On July 9, 1735, at the age of 26, with an unattractive appearance and no achievements to his name, he married Elizabeth Porter, a widow with ￡7 million in assets and three children. He had money and soon built a local boarding school. The famous actor Garrick was once his student. Johnson's appearance was indeed a disadvantage. Tall but thin, with scrofula sores on his face and occasional spasmodic twitches. Amidst others' ridicule, at the age of 28, he moved to London with his wife to make a living and was eventually employed by two booksellers, marking a major turning point in Johnson's life! With the publication of The Life of Richard Savage, the author's name "Johnson" gradually gained recognition in London's literary circles. It was also because of this that he later wrote Lives of the Poets and A Dictionary of the English Language. Johnson began to make a name for himself in literature, but he remained particularly tense and exhausted. His spirit was crushed by his wife's decline—she always used alcohol and opium to cope with the pain of loneliness and old age, becoming drunk and repulsive. At this point, she had become a burden to Johnson. But things were so contradictory: in 1752, his wife really died, and Johnson began to praise her virtues and lament his loneliness. Loneliness was terrible. He had to hire a blind Welsh poet to live at Gough Farm and handle household chores and kitchen work. At the same time, he also hired a black male servant and a doctor. The household gradually improved, but from then on, Johnson also had a household that was often in disagreement. The family needed money to sustain itself. The income from A Dictionary of the English Language was quickly spent. As a result, his family began to move around, from Gough Farm to St. Martin's Lodge, then to Gray's Inn, and finally to Inner Temple. However, on July 1, 1762, happiness fell from the sky. King George III, following the advice of Sir Buys, granted Johnson an annual pension of ￡300—suddenly, Johnson was lifted to a relatively affluent state. Why was such favor bestowed upon someone who often opposed the Hanoverian dynasty and mockingly teased the Scots? The mysterious answer is unknown to everyone. From then on, Johnson was financially secure. He also felt spiritually fulfilled by the admiration and praise he received. One person who had a close relationship with Johnson was Boswell, who, in reality, spent only about two years and a few weeks with his idol from the time they met until Johnson's death. Johnson knew that Boswell planned to write his biography, and Boswell's undisguised enthusiasm made the older man forgive his almost sycophantic idolatry. At the same time, Johnson also accepted him as a student. It was precisely because of Boswell's charming teasing and tireless exploration that we came to know Johnson so well. In 1765, Johnson met the wine merchant Henry Thrale and his wife. This friendship was more important to him in his life than his friendship with Boswell. After 1766, he often spent the summer with them at their country estate. So, how did these friends evaluate Johnson's physical flaws and virtues? Boswell wrote in his first meeting: "Mr. Johnson's appearance was quite terrifying. He was large, troubled by scrofulous eyes, paralysis, and scrofula. He was dressed in a shabby manner, and his voice was peculiar." Indeed, his figure was unattractive, his large wig was askew, his face was large and plump, his eyebrows drooped, and his troubled eyes were paired with a double chin. When asked why he did not pay attention to his attire, his reason was that fine clothing was only worn by those who lacked other means to gain respect. In terms of diet, Johnson was also greedy, with a big appetite, eating fish with his fingers, and enjoying drinking. But he never smoked, because he believed smoking was only a way to prevent spiritual emptiness. After 1776, he suffered from asthma, gout, and edema. These ailments, along with his other physical defects, intensified his depression and severe psychological fear. From then on, Johnson's vitality gradually declined, he slept less and less, and could only rely on opium to alleviate his pain and soothe his nerves. On June 3, 1784, he relaxed and went to Lichfield with Boswell to enjoy himself and Oxford. But soon after returning, his asthma returned, and his edema worsened. Reynolds, Burke, Landon, Fenner, Burney, and others came to visit him and bid him farewell. On the night of December 13, 1784, he passed away. A week later, he was buried in Westminster. Johnson was the strange man in literary history. As Goldsmith said: "Johnson's demeanor was somewhat rough, but no living person had a kinder heart than he, except in appearance. He was disheveled, scattered, superstitious, rude, autocratic, and proud. But he was also kind, humane, generous, willing to ask for forgiveness and forgive others. He was not sent to this world for his beauty; he makes us see ourselves with less vanity when pursuing perfect humanity and freedom."