The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia. New York: Oxford UP, 1999 by Samuel Johnson
- Briefly describe Rassleas’ life in the Happy Valley.
- What moral conclusion does Imlac reach in light of Rassleas’ disappointment with the philosopher whose life seems to collapse in the face of human suffering?
- Based on your reading, what kind of knowledge was most important to Johnson–intellectual, moral, religious, scientific?
- What does the text reveal about the “dangerous prevalence” of the imagination?
- How do you interpret the “Conclusion in Which Nothing is Concluded”?
Sample Solution