Recent studies on Johnson and friendship: 2010-2022

This chapter centres on Johnson’s longstanding yet rarely mentioned friend, Thomas Cumming, whose friendship with Johnson spanned forty years. It analyzes Johnson’s friendship with James Elphinston, which spanned more than thirty years. The chapter explores the nexus between patronage and friendship, leading in part to the metamorphosis of Burney from provincial musician to recognized literary and musical scholar. Sabor’s essay examines the trope of friendship with a focus on financial support and travel, tracing Johnson’s experience and enablement of different instances of friendship in his later years. The chapter analyzes Johnson’s friendship with James Elphinston, which spanned more than thirty years. Interest especially lies in the broader scope of their mutual acquaintances and the nature of this relationship that can be traced through the limited number (nine) of letters exchanged. Damrosch’s monograph interrogates various notions of-and questions regarding-coterie and companionship.