- Mass Market Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Classics; Reprint edition (25 Nov 1976)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 014043108X
- ISBN-13: 978-0140431087
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.6 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 583,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
"A relatively inexpensive, attractively designed edition with useful introduction and notes. For classroom use I prefer the Oxford World's Classics edition to any of the others available."--John Kandl, Walsh University
"Very good edition of an excellent work. My student response has been overwhelmingly positive. A valuable work for the 18-22 year old set."--Winfield J.C. Myers, University of Georgia
"Provides a wonderful intro. to Johnson's thought, and few works have more to say to our age and to our students. The response was overwhelmingly positive."--Winfield J.C. Myers, University of Georgia
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Very good edition of an excellent work. My student response has been overwhelmingly positive. A valuable work for the 18-22 year old set."--Winfield J.C. Myers, University of Georgia
"Provides a wonderful intro. to Johnson's thought, and few works have more to say to our age and to our students. The response was overwhelmingly positive."--Winfield J.C. Myers, University of Georgia
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Rasselas compresses everything that puts Dr Johnson among the great lions of English literature and life into this text
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First Sentence
"YE who listen with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and pursue 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 histor" Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
"YE who listen with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and pursue 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 histor" Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I read this book primarily for one reason: it is by Samuel Johnson, and I wanted to look at some of his work. This 100 page novel seemed the ideal way to start. 'Rasselas' is a very moral work: every action, every turn the story takes serves to illustrate a point Johnson wishes to discuss, so the actual plot is secondary to the moral purpose. Yet the style with which Johnson writes prevents the book from being a dull philosophical tract. There are some very funny moments, such as the encounter with the astronomer, and thought provoking episodes, such as the story of the hermit who is delighted to abandon his principles and return to the city. In short,'The History of Rasselas' is a combination of exotic fable and timeless philosophizing, delivered in a way that remains as meaningful now as when it was written in 1759, with its central theme of a character in pursuit of happiness, and attempting to discover what happiness really is.
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
...so I thought I'd save a few quid by buying a second-hand copy on t'internet.
It arrived promptly and in good condition, so I am happy with it.
It arrived promptly and in good condition, so I am happy with it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
42 of 45 people found the following review helpful
A "Coming of Age" Morality Tale
7 Mar 2000
Format:Paperback
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.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
A Search for Happiness
5 Nov 2004
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Rasselas was a prince of Abyssinia, doomed to spend his life in "Happy Valley," unless he is chosen to be the King. In Happy Valley Rasselas' every need is met. He is fed and cared for and protected. However, Rasselas is unhappy in Happy Valley. Eventually he finds a man of the world who has come to Happy Valley and by the rules of entry, is now unable to leave. Eventually Prince Rasselas, the poet Imlac, Princess Nekayah and her handmaid Pekuah find a way to leave Happy Valley to journey into the world.
The travelers leave with a quantity of jewels so that they might find their way made easier, as poor travelers typically find their travels harsh. They begin to visit many different kinds of people in an effort to find happiness and thus be helped in deciding their "choice of life." The group visit common people, shepherds, an astronomer, teachers, a wealthy man, and many others. However, the group encounters an unexpected problem; they are unable to find a person who is happy. Even people who appear happy often turn out to have complaints regarding their life. The apparently happy wealthy man complains that others want his wealth. The shepherds turn out to want to live somewhere else. Everyone is dissatisfied with their lot in life.
Adding to the complexity of their search is that people take advantage of the seekers. Some people scam them out of their money. The Princess and Pekuah are kidnapped by desert raiders seeking to ransom them. It seems as though the world is a harsh place compared to Happy Valley. The seekers wonder how anyone can be happy in such a harsh and unforgiving world.
Rasselas is a philosophical tale that wonders about the nature of happiness. However, be careful of your expectations because Rasselas does not provide any ready-made answers. The answers are left to the reader. My observation regarding Rasselas and his band of travelers is that those they encountered would have thought that Rasselas led a happy life because he and his group were able to travel freely where they liked, learning new things and meeting new people. Little did the seekers realize that while they were searching for happiness they were happy.
Rasselas provides an opportunity for a person of learning to contrast his life with those who seek to find something without that is truly within. For those who look, the answer is there, including the answer to where happiness lies. Rasselas was closer than he knew, but he knew not where to look. Unfortunately the learned Imlac provide no assistance and, indeed, steered Rasselas further from the truth.
Typically philosophy books are difficult to read because they tackle complex arguments in ways that are difficult to follow. In the case of Rasselas the search for the choice of life and the search for happiness are told as a parable, making the reading somewhat easier. However, Samuel Johnson wrote this story more than two centuries ago, and the writing style and vocabulary used are likely to be challenging for many. Balancing the difficulty in reading the story is that the story is not long.
Considered by many to be a classic, here is a book that anyone who has styled himself a philosopher or just a seeker after truth should read.
The travelers leave with a quantity of jewels so that they might find their way made easier, as poor travelers typically find their travels harsh. They begin to visit many different kinds of people in an effort to find happiness and thus be helped in deciding their "choice of life." The group visit common people, shepherds, an astronomer, teachers, a wealthy man, and many others. However, the group encounters an unexpected problem; they are unable to find a person who is happy. Even people who appear happy often turn out to have complaints regarding their life. The apparently happy wealthy man complains that others want his wealth. The shepherds turn out to want to live somewhere else. Everyone is dissatisfied with their lot in life.
Adding to the complexity of their search is that people take advantage of the seekers. Some people scam them out of their money. The Princess and Pekuah are kidnapped by desert raiders seeking to ransom them. It seems as though the world is a harsh place compared to Happy Valley. The seekers wonder how anyone can be happy in such a harsh and unforgiving world.
Rasselas is a philosophical tale that wonders about the nature of happiness. However, be careful of your expectations because Rasselas does not provide any ready-made answers. The answers are left to the reader. My observation regarding Rasselas and his band of travelers is that those they encountered would have thought that Rasselas led a happy life because he and his group were able to travel freely where they liked, learning new things and meeting new people. Little did the seekers realize that while they were searching for happiness they were happy.
Rasselas provides an opportunity for a person of learning to contrast his life with those who seek to find something without that is truly within. For those who look, the answer is there, including the answer to where happiness lies. Rasselas was closer than he knew, but he knew not where to look. Unfortunately the learned Imlac provide no assistance and, indeed, steered Rasselas further from the truth.
Typically philosophy books are difficult to read because they tackle complex arguments in ways that are difficult to follow. In the case of Rasselas the search for the choice of life and the search for happiness are told as a parable, making the reading somewhat easier. However, Samuel Johnson wrote this story more than two centuries ago, and the writing style and vocabulary used are likely to be challenging for many. Balancing the difficulty in reading the story is that the story is not long.
Considered by many to be a classic, here is a book that anyone who has styled himself a philosopher or just a seeker after truth should read.
6 of 9 people found the following review helpful
an overall great book
3 Jan 2001
Format:Paperback
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.
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