Style in Samuel Johnson＇s Letter to Lord Chesterfield

Samuel Johnson (1709----1784) is a famous English essayist, literary critic and dictionary compiler. In 1747, when Johnson began his ““Dietionary of the English Language““, Chesterfield had at first indieated that he could be his patron, but when Johnson came to him for conerete help, Chesterfield neglected him to the point of ignoring him. Johnson was insulted and furious. In 1755, when Johnson‘s Dictionary was published and acclaimed after seven years of hard work, Chesterfield openly recommended it, hoping to get some credit for it as Johnson‘s patron. Johnson at once wrote his famous letter in a sharp style, openly denying Chesterfield‘s patronage, and attacking him outright for his behaviour. The attack, however, was made in a cireumloeutious way.