James Boswell, psychological interpretations

James Boswell: Psychological Interpretations brings the insights of modern psychological and psychoanalytic theories to bear on the paradoxical tensions in Boswell's life and thus explicates a personality that seems to defy rational explanation.

Drawing from an array of theoretical perspectives, the writers in this volume investigate Boswell's contradictions to reveal the hidden logic of psychic conflict and suggest ways in which these tensions manifested themselves in the biographer's work. As much attention is given to Boswell's less-celebrated works as to the London Journal and The Life of Johnson.

Essays include the effect of Boswell's early reading of The Spectator on his desire to become a writer, the impact on his sense of identity of Rasselas, and the psychological dynamics of his relationships with the demanding Lord Auchinleck and the domineering Samuel Johnson.