Description

Book Synopsis
Ambivalent about the disruption, perplexity, and variety apparent in the London of his day, Johnson was committed to the conventions of moral reflection and troubled by the pressure to adopt the perspective of the crowd and the language of social theory. This work explores the consequences of his ambivalence and his attempt to order the chaos.

Trade Review
“Thomas Reinert has succeeded—while giving his many predecessors their due—both in saying entirely new things about Samuel Johnson and also in addressing in an original and stimulating way the question of what it is that changes in eighteenth-century Britain—what it is that gives that culture its particular ‘modernity.’”—Deidre Lynch, State University of New York at Buffalo

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
1. The Desire for Fame 18
2. Periodical Moralizing 46
3. The Vanity of Human Wishes 75
4. Exemplary Self-Sacrifice 89
5. Probability and Conjecture 122
Conclusion 139
Notes 163
Works Cited 183
Index 189

Regulating Confusion

    Product form

    A Paperback / softback by Thomas Reinert

    £22.79

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £23.99 – you save £1.20 (5%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Sat 14 Nov 2026.

    Estimated delivery by Sat 14 Nov 2026.

    1 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Regulating Confusion by Thomas Reinert

      Book details

      Publisher Duke University Press
      Published 17 January 1996
      ISBN-13 9780822317173
      978-0822317173
      ISBN-10 0822317176

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Ambivalent about the disruption, perplexity, and variety apparent in the London of his day, Johnson was committed to the conventions of moral reflection and troubled by the pressure to adopt the perspective of the crowd and the language of social theory. This work explores the consequences of his ambivalence and his attempt to order the chaos.

      Trade Review
      “Thomas Reinert has succeeded—while giving his many predecessors their due—both in saying entirely new things about Samuel Johnson and also in addressing in an original and stimulating way the question of what it is that changes in eighteenth-century Britain—what it is that gives that culture its particular ‘modernity.’”—Deidre Lynch, State University of New York at Buffalo

      Table of Contents
      Acknowledgments vii
      Introduction 1
      1. The Desire for Fame 18
      2. Periodical Moralizing 46
      3. The Vanity of Human Wishes 75
      4. Exemplary Self-Sacrifice 89
      5. Probability and Conjecture 122
      Conclusion 139
      Notes 163
      Works Cited 183
      Index 189

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account