A Clubbable Man : Essays on Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture in Honor of Greg Clingham

Samuel Johnson famously referred to his future biographer, the unsociable magistrate Sir John Hawkins, as “a most __unclubbable__ man." Conversely, this celebratory volume gathers distinguished eighteenth-century studies scholars to honor the achievements, professional generosity, and sociability of Greg Clingham, taking as its theme textual and social group formations. Here, Philip Smallwood examines the “mirrored minds” of Johnson and Shakespeare, while David Hopkins parses intersections of the general and particular in three key eighteenth-century figures. Aaron Hanlon draws parallels between instances of physical rambling and rhetorical strategies in Johnson’s __Rambler__, while Cedric D. Reverand dissects the intertextual strands uniting Dryden and Pope. Contributors take up other topics significant to the field, including post-feminism, travel, and seismology. Whether discussing cultural exchange or textual reciprocities, each piece extends the theme, building on the trope of __relationship__ to organize and express its findings. Rounding out this collection are tributes from Clingham’s former students and colleagues, including original poetry. Contents 5 A Note on the Cover Image 9 Introduction 13 PART I Essays on Samuel Johnson and James Boswell 15 Mirrored Minds: Johnson and Shakespeare 15 The General and the Particular: Paradox and the Play of Contraries in the Criticism of Pope, Johnson, and Reynolds 34 “The Caliban of Literature”: Spenser, Shakespeare, and Johnson’s Intertextual Scholarship 51 In Silence and Darkness: Johnson’s Verdicts on Artistic Failure 66 Smollett’s Ramblers and the Law of the Land 83 The Social Life of Thomas Cumming, or “Clubbing” with Johnson’s Friend, the Fighting Quaker 102 Not “Just a Macheath”: Young Boswell and Old Cibber in Boswell’s London Journal 1762–1763 115 PART II Essays on Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture 131 English Historiography, the Development of Secular Autobiography, and the Memoir 131 What Else Did Pope Borrow from Dryden? 152 Poetic Performances: Pope’s An Essay on Man and Swift’s “Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift” 165 Swift Shrinks the Duke of Marlborough: Public Delegitimation through Scale 181 Western Gardens, Eastern Views: Asian Travelers on Greenscapes of the British Isles 197 Publishers Can Cause Earthquakes: Explanations and Enigmas of the Seismic Enlightenment 219 PART III Personal Reminiscences 239 Greg Clingham as Teacher and Mentor 239 Greg Clingham and Bucknell University Press 253 Commemoratory Poems 261 Coda 269 Greg Clingham’s Publications 275 Acknowledgments 281 Bibliography 283 Notes on Contributors 303 Index 311 "Samuel Johnson famously referred to his future biographer, the unsociable magistrate Sir John Hawkins, as "a most unclubbable man." Conversely, this celebratory volume gathers distinguished eighteenth-century studies scholars to honor the achievements, professional generosity, and sociability of Greg Clingham, taking as its theme textual and social group formations. Here, Philip Smallwood examines the "mirrored minds" of Johnson and Shakespeare, while David Hopkins parses intersections of the general and particular in three key eighteenth-century figures. Aaron Hanlon draws parallels between instances of physical rambling and rhetorical strategies in Johnson's Rambler, while Cedric D. Reverand dissects the intertextual strands uniting Dryden and Pope. Contributors take up other topics significant to the field, including post-feminism, travel, and seismology. Whether discussing cultural exchange or textual reciprocities, each piece extends the theme, building on the trope of relationship to organize and express its findings. Rounding out this collection are tributes from Clingham's former students and colleagues, including original poetry"-- Provided by publisher A celebratory volume that gathers distinguished eighteenth-century studies scholars to honor the achievements, professional generosity, and sociability of Greg Clingham, taking as its theme textual and social group formations.