Boswell meaning

He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson , Life of Samuel Johnson , which is commonly said to be the greatest biography written in the English language. As the eldest son, he was heir to his family's estate of Auchinleck in Ayrshire. Boswell's mother was a strict Calvinist , and he felt that his father was cold to him.

As a child, he was delicate.

James boswell death

Kay Jamison , Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, in her book Touched with Fire , believes that Boswell may have suffered from bipolar disorder , [ 4 ] and this condition would afflict him sporadically all through his life. At the age of five, he was sent to James Mundell 's academy, an advanced institution by the standards of the time, where he was instructed in English, Latin , writing and arithmetic.

The eight-year-old Boswell was unhappy there, and suffered from nightmares and extreme shyness. Consequently, he was removed from the academy and educated by a string of private tutors.

James boswell writing style

The most notable and supportive of these, John Dunn, exposed Boswell to modern literature, such as The Spectator essays, and religion. Dunn was also present during Boswell's serious affliction of , when he was confined to the town of Moffat in northern Dumfriesshire. This afforded Boswell his first experience of genuine society.

His recovery was rapid and complete, and Boswell may have decided that travel and entertainment exerted a calming therapeutic effect on him. At thirteen, Boswell was enrolled into the arts course at the University of Edinburgh , studying there from to Midway through his studies, he suffered an episode of serious depression but recovered fully.

Boswell had swarthy skin, black hair and dark eyes; he was of average height, and he tended to plumpness. His appearance was said to be alert and masculine.