Life and Literature
摘要
Chapter Seven addresses the relationship for Johnson between literature and life, that is, how literary criticism adapts to the changing situation and needs of the reader. This discussion is divided into two sections, part one on the “life of literature” and part two on “literature and life.” The first section considers the Life of Edmund Smith. This anomalous life is different from all the others because Smith is recommended not because of his writing but because of his service to the writing of others. Johnson reinforces his position that one of the life functions of literature is to provide some common ground for those with different, even conflicting ideologies and other strongly held beliefs.