Record Number: 20868
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'At this time the controversy concerning the pieces published by Mr James Macpherson as translations of [italics] Ossian [end italics], was at its height. Johson had all along denied their authenticity; and, what was still more provoking to their admirers, maintained they had no merit. The subject having been introduced by Dr Fordyce, Dr Blair, relying on the internal evidence of their antiquity, asked Dr Johnson whether he thought any man of a modern age could have written such poems? Johnson replied, "Yes, Sir, many men, many women, and many children". Dr Johnson did not know that Dr Blair had just published a "Dissertation", not only defending their authenticity, but seriously ranking them with the poems of [italics] Homer [end italics] and [italics] Virgil [end italics].'
Century:1850-1899
Date:Until: 24 May 1763
Country:n/a
Timen/a
Place:n/a
Type of Experience(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Male
Date of Birth:7 Apr 1718
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:preacher and rhetorician
Religion:n/a
Country of Origin:Scotland
Country of Experience:n/a
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:Fragments of Ancient Poetry collected in the Highlands of Scotland
Genre:Poetry
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:20868
Source:James Boswell
Editor:R.W. Chapman
Title:Life of Johnson
Place of Publication:Oxford
Date of Publication:1980
Vol:n/a
Page:280
Additional Comments:
n/a
Citation:
James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson, (Oxford, 1980), p. 280, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=20868, accessed: 09 May 2025
Additional Comments:
Originally published 1791.
