The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia

by Samuel Johnson, Samuel Fresne, Samuel Rasselas, et al.

Book Overview

Rasselas and his companions escape the pleasures of the "happy valley" in order to make their "choice of life." By witnessing the misfortunes and miseries of others they come to understand the nature of happiness, and value it more highly. Their travels and enquiries raise important practical and philosophical questions concerning many aspects of the human condition, including the business of a poet, the stability of reason, the immortality of the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 019922997X
• ISBN13: 9780199229970
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

The History of Rasselas Prince of Abissinia or What Choice of Life to Make

Dr. Johnson's "The History of Rasselas Prince of Abissinia" offers a philosophical journey for our modern era--a search for the secret of what choice of life to make. I highly recommend the Oxford World's Classic edition, edited by J.P. Hardy. The introductory material is quite helpful, and the extensive footnotes, further explaining the text, are a valuable gateway to many of Dr. Johnson's writings in Rambler and Adventurer, writings where he further pursued topics raised in this book. Rasselas lives in a garden paradise--his every need is provided for by his father, the King, who has sent his four children to live in Happy Valley, a beautiful valley, a Garden of Eden, from which there is no known escape, until they are called to rule through the line of succession. After years of having his every wish fulfilled, Rasselas grows dissatisfied--there is no challenge or deep satisfaction in merely waiting for others to die so he can be King. Rasselas wants more. He doesn't know life beyond the mountain. The Prince recruits his teacher, his sister, and her companion. Rasselas sets his goal to leave Happy Valley, and then he discovers his means of escape. He plans to travel the world; to seek out the wise and the learned; to study humanity. Along the way Rasselas and his friends enquire and learn about the human condition: misfortune, desire, corruption, curiosity, loneliness, insanity and the loss of reason. They also consider other questions when making a choice of life: the business of a man of letters; the importance of novelty in a life well-lived; the greatness of a nation as measured by the completeness of her poets; the importance of a desire of knowledge; that the old is valuable because: "what has been longest known has been most considered, and what is most considered is best understood." Their travels take them to Cairo, and they visit a number of places, including the pyramids, and meet many people on their journey, giving them an opportunity to talk to others who have made their choice of life. They meet the married and the single man; what about the choice of a married life? They meet the recluse; what about the choice of a life of seclusion? They visit the great pyramids of Egypt, and learn about the folly of man. They spend time with the astronomer; a man who has spent his life studying the stars. He has lived the life of the hedgehog, learning deeply about star knowledge. How does he feel about his choice of life versus the man who learns about self knowledge? Dr. Johnson wrote: "The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure, but from hope to hope." He also understood that "hope was necessary in every condition," but warns us as he begins his tale: "Ye who listen with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and persue with eagerness the phantoms of hope; who expect that age will perform the promises of youth, and that the deficiencies of the present day will be supplied by the morrow; attend to the

The History of Rasselas Prince of Abissinia or What Choice of Life to Make

Dr. Johnson's "The History of Rasselas Prince of Abissinia" offers a philosophical journey for our modern era--a search for the secret of: what choice of life to make. I highly recommend the Oxford World's Classic edition, edited by J.P. Hardy. The introductory material is quite helpful, and the extensive footnotes, further explaining the text, are a valuable gateway to many of Dr. Johnson's writings in Rambler and Adventurer, writings where he further pursued topics raised in this book. Rasselas lives in a garden paradise--his every need is provided for by his father, the King, who has sent his four children to live in Happy Valley, a beautiful valley, a Garden of Eden, from which there is no known escape, until they are called to rule through the line of succession. After years of having his every wish fulfilled, Rasselas grows dissatisfied--there is no challenge or deep satisfaction in merely waiting for others to die so he can be King. Rasselas wants more. He doesn't know life beyond the mountain. The Prince recruits his teacher, his sister, and her companion. Rasselas sets his goal to leave Happy Valley, and then he discovers his means of escape. He plans to travel the world; to seek out the wise and the learned; to study humanity. Along the way Rasselas and his friends enquire and learn about the human condition: misfortune, desire, corruption, curiosity, loneliness, insanity and the loss of reason. They also consider other questions when making a choice of life: the business of a man of letters; the importance of novelty in a life well-lived; the greatness of a nation as measured by the completeness of her poets; the importance of a desire of knowledge; that the old is valuable because: "what has been longest known has been most considered, and what is most considered is best understood." Their travels take them to Cairo, and they visit a number of places, including the pyramids, and meet many people on their journey, giving them an opportunity to talk to others who have made their choice of life. They meet the married and the single man; what about the choice of a married life? They meet the recluse; what about the choice of a life of seclusion? They visit the great pyramids of Egypt, and learn about the folly of man. They spend time with the astronomer; a man who has spent his life studying the stars. He has lived the life of the hedgehog, learning deeply about star knowledge. How does he feel about his choice of life versus the man who learns about self knowledge? Dr. Johnson wrote: "The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure, but from hope to hope." He also understood that "hope was necessary in every condition," but warns us as he begins his tale: "Ye who listen with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and persue with eagerness the phantoms of hope; who expect that age will perform the promises of youth, and that the deficiencies of the present day will be supplied by the morrow; attend to the

an overall great book

The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia was a disheartening story about a prince who leaves the "happy valley" to pursue the choice of life. The princess and the prince, as well as the princess's favorite and their guide, enquire with all types of people in different positions to assist them in making their choice of life. I focused more on the philosophy than the story, and this, in the end, did nothing more than reassure me on the downfalls of human nature and society. It was enjoyable to read such a melancholy message expressed in an artistic and imaginative way, as I do not think that anything else would have lifted my spirits more than to know that although the downfalls illustrated in the book permeate our existence, people still retain creativity enough to express them in a pleasant way. This book is well written and the message is entertaining. It is a story that compliments the reader, as it can entertain with both its story and its opinions.

disheartening but excellent

'The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia' was a disheartening story about a prince who leaves the "happy valley" to pursue the choice of life. The princess and the prince, as well as the princess's favorite and their guide, enquire with all types of people in different positions to assist them in making their choice of life. I focused more on the philosophy than the story, and this, in the end, did nothing more than reassure me on the downfalls of human nature and society. It was enjoyable to read such a melancholy message expressed in an artistic and imaginative way, as I do not think that anything else would have lifted my spirits more than to know that although the downfalls illustrated in the book permeate our existence, people still retain creativity enough to express them in a pleasant way. This book is well written and the message is entertaining. It is a story that compliments the reader, as it can entertain with both its story and its opinions.

A "Coming of Age" Morality Tale

Johnson brings together a wide variety of his favorite themes in this brief book, as he follows a small band of travelers as they interact with the world around them."Rasselas" of the title is a prince who has led a sheltered life in the Happy Valley. Over time he becomes discontented with always being contented, and decides to escape his boredom by leaving. He is led by his guide Imlac, a court counselor and poet; accompanying them is Rasselas's sister and her maid.Rasselas's goal is to make a "choice of life," something he has great difficulty doing once outside the confines of the Happy Valley. Repeatedly, the quartet encounters arguments and counterarguments for one way of life or another. Ultimately, they realize that it's not what they choose to do in this life that matters, as long as it doesn't impede on their after-life. That is the major conclusion they reach, in a final chapter which Johnson calls "The conclusion, in which nothing is concluded."The book and its writing is fairly simple, and could be read by anyone in high school. Unlike a lot of Johnson's essays, the syntax is not tangled, and it is easy to get through. However, while the writing is fairly simple (Hemingway some times comes to my mind!), the themes are big. And a young reader must be patient: what sounds like a final opinion on one page frequently gets an "on the other hand" on the next.This is important, because some of the lines which characters speak are easily taken out of context, and misintepreted. A reader who is not careful may find a line which seems to resonate, and draw the wrong conclusion. Here are two examples: at one point, Imlac (Rasselas's guide) says to Rasselas, "Human life is everywhere a condition in which there is much to be endured and little to be enjoyed." Pretty pessimistic! But in its proper context, Imlac has only cautioned Rasselas against envying the Europeans. In another instance, "The Artist" (no, not the one with the glyph!) tells Rasselas, "Nothing will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must be first oversome." How *wonderful* for the office bulletin board! But then (on the other hand) The Artist puts on a pair of man-made wings and takes a belly flop into a lake.This book is chock full of aphorisims like these two, and that is part of its appeal. But they are deceptive in isolation, and should be considered as part of the book as a whole.As a whole book, it is wonderful. Its scope is wide, because of the variety of experiences and because of the to-ing and fro-ing of the dialog. It's a great way to start with Johnson, because it has so many of his large themes, distilled into a little tale which really can fit in your coat pocket.