Journey to the Western Islands

What is now almost forgotten, however, is that for all its fine qualities, Johnson's Journey of 1774 reveals a mind stubbornly closed on the questions that were supposed to have formed the purpose of the visit. Did the Gaelic language possess an ancient written literary tradition? Did Ossian's poems exist? If so, had James Macpherson rendered them correctly? Worse, in a passage which caused Boswell much agony, Johnson chose to insult the Scots as a nation. The immediate result of these indiscretions was an outpouring of English prose and Gaelic poetry in the Highlands. Johnson was denounced, not to say vilified, and the record was set straight. The Remarks on Dr Samuel Johnson's Journey to the Hebrides of the Rev. Donald MacNicol of Lismore, are both entertaining and illuminating. Written in 1775 and last reprinted in 1822, the Remarks fell victim to Boswell's deification of Johnson, and are now published in an annotated edition for the first time. Journey to the Western Islands presents the following texts, along with an introduction and notes whose aim will be to balance the requirements of readers interested in English literature. This is the first time they have been systematic