Samuel Johnson as a Christian Moralist: Exploring the Conflict between Divine Calling and Worldly Ambition

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study examines how Samuel Johnson’s Christianity profoundly shaped his writing, influencing his sense of vocation and imbuing his work with a strong moral purpose. Johnson’s faith provided the ethical framework through which he perceived human nature, society, and the role of literature. Viewing writing as a means to instruct and elevate society, he saw literature as bearing a moral responsibility, aligned with his Christian belief in humanity’s need for moral and spiritual growth. At the same time, Johnson was deeply aware of the evolving status of writers in a competitive literary culture of the eighteenth-century. He pursued a notable ambition for literary success and recognition, which reflects the spirit of his age. By analyzing these dual themes of Christian morality and worldly ambition, this paper concludes that Johnson still remains a seminal figure in Christian moral literature.

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