Portrait of Samuel Johnson

Augustan

Samuel Johnson

1709 – 1784

English writer and lexicographer (1709–1784)

  • Kingdom of Great Britain
  • British
  • Neoclassicism
  • Literary Theory
UGC NET importance

About

Samuel Johnson, often called Dr. Johnson, was an English writer and polymath who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The work for which he is best known is his 42,733-entry Dictionary of the English Language (1755). For this and other contributions in and to the English language, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography has called him "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history".

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Portrait by Joshua Reynolds (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons.

Life on the Timeline

1709 – 1784
800 BCToday

Major Works

Exam Dossier

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Exam intelligence for Samuel Johnson — most-asked topics, previous-year themes, practice questions and revision plans — is being assembled. Meanwhile, the Study Guide can walk you through what matters for UGC NET.