Project Gutenberg 2004-09-02 Public domain in the USA. 177 Johnson, Samuel 1709 1784 Bronson, Bertrand Harris 1902 1986 Bronson, B. H. (Bertrand Harris) The Vanity of Human Wishes (1749) and Two Rambler papers (1750) Augustan Reprint Society, publication number 22 Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vanity_of_Human_Wishes Produced by David Starner, Charles Bidwell and PG Distributed Proofreaders "The Vanity of Human Wishes (1749) and Two Rambler papers (1750) by Samuel Johnson" is a collection of moral essays and poetry written in the 18th century, specifically during the early to mid-1700s, which is marked by the Enlightenment's intellectual vigor. The primary focus of the book is the nature of human desires and the inevitable disappointments that accompany them, exploring profound philosophical themes of ambition, fate, and morality, while also offering insights into social conduct and the human condition. In "The Vanity of Human Wishes," Johnson creatively adapts Juvenal's Tenth Satire to reflect on the futility of human aspirations, highlighting how desires often lead to suffering and regret. The poem features a series of vivid portraits, including historical figures like Cardinal Wolsey and Charles XII of Sweden, showcasing their rises and falls fueled by ambition and desire. The accompanying "Rambler" papers present Johnson's reflections on various aspects of life, such as the quest for happiness and the importance of virtue, frequently emphasizing the need for self-awareness and moral integrity. Together, these works encapsulate Johnson’s belief that true contentment arises not from external achievements but from an inner state of virtue and resignation to fate. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 60.8 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Poetry Essays PR Text Category: Poetry Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: Classics of Literature Category: British Literature Category: History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750) 90490 2025-07-06T05:05:02.456237 text/html 90479 90371 2024-11-06T07:37:44.724366 2023-10-06T08:53:50.615906 text/html text/html 146472 2025-07-06T05:05:08.669234 application/epub+zip 145020 2025-07-06T05:05:05.993231 application/epub+zip 87950 2025-07-06T05:05:04.797283 application/epub+zip 369968 2025-07-06T05:05:10.486227 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 356399 2025-07-06T05:05:07.889290 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 116978 2022-09-07T01:43:49.948817 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 74634 2025-07-06T05:05:02.222247 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 54751 2024-10-28T20:20:11 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19307 2025-07-06T05:05:10.616279 application/rdf+xml 26585 2025-07-06T05:05:05.296223 image/jpeg 5046 2025-07-06T05:05:05.045243 image/jpeg 146845 2025-07-06T05:05:02.465250 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia