The History Of Rasselas, Prince Of Abyssinia by Samuel Johnson | A Reading

‘The Europeans,’ answered Imlac, ‘are less unhappy than we, but they are not happy. Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured, and little to be enjoyed’. Alas, is this not the divine punishment for our original transgression?—the terrible consequence of our old, Edenic sin? Were our first parents not warned against tasting of the fruit with which that tempting tree was laden? Were they not then told, having eaten it, and having satisfied both hunger and curiosity in a single bite, to expect sorrow, pain, and a joyless life of toil? That much is to be endured, and little enjoyed, thus strikes us as no revelation. Still, we delight in Samuel Johnson embellishing this ancient theme. Let us follow the wisdom of Imlac, Johnson’s brilliant creation, as he guides us toward understanding, happiness, poetry, and love.