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Throughout his life, James Boswell struggled to fashion a clear account of himself, but try as he might, he could not reconcile the truths of his era with those of his religious upbringing. Boswells Enlightenment examines the conflicting credos of reason and faith, progress and tradition that pulled Boswell, like so many eighteenth-century Europeans, in opposing directions. In the end, the life of the man best known for writing Samuel Johnsons biography was something of a patchwork affair. As Johnson himself understood That creature was its own tormentor, and I believe its name was BOSWELL. Few periods in Boswells life better crystallize this internal turmoil than 17631765, the years of his Grand Tour and the focus of Robert Zaretskys thrilling intellectual adventure.



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