An Inspirational Moment from Boswell's London Journal

Every Christmas, I am struck anew by just how little I manage to accomplish over the break. Some new obstacle always seems to arise in my path: nephews with impressive lung capacity; a card game; a cold. Still, I've been on the lookout to make the most of every opportunity: if the house is virtually quiet, I break out Michael McKeon's _The Theory of the Novel_. If there are noisy nephews, I pull out Boswell's _London Journal_ instead, since it is lighter reading. Boswell is the famous eighteenth century biographer who wrote Life of Johnson, as well as a rather infamous (and posthumous) autobiography. I found myself moved by one particularly inspirational moment.

To put the moment in its context: Boswell went to London rather horny. He had already twice been visited by "Signor Gonorrhoea"--the 1st time it lasted ten weeks, the 2nd time, four months. This time, his plan was to keep a private mistress rather than visit a prostitute in order to ensure no future infections. Despite taking this precaution, Boswell comes down with gonorrhoea again. That's the sort of experience that makes you think he's just going to give up--maybe sit around, recover by sleeping all day, and do nothing for several months, much as I might be tempted to spend my Christmas break. But no. He does not give up. In fact, he resolves that, during his period of recuperation, he will read all six volumes of David Hume's History of England. As you might infer from the phrase "six volumes," this is a lot to read. Think Tolstoy's War and Peace. Think Proust's Remembrance of Things Past. Think Samuel Richardson's Clarissa, which you have probably never heard of. You've got to admire a man who gets hit by gonorrhoea and wants to read six volumes of something that is not The Far Side.

Having never gotten gonorrhea myself, I still find Boswell's experience remarkably motivational for my own work over break. Don't misunderstand me: I am very critical of Boswell's personal morality decisions. Nevertheless, there have been so many Hollywood triumph movies about "the little guy" who, despite significant impediments (like having an injury, coming from a lower social class, etc.) , will end up the uberchampion in golf, boxing, horse-racing, etc. Frankly, it is refreshing finally to see a "little guy" like Boswell with a more intellectual goal, and much easier for myself as an academic to identify with him, except for the whole gonorrhea thing.

I also like that Boswell seems to offer an alternative to the lifestyle especially prone to the transmission of STDs. The movie Down with Love, for instance, suggests that women do not need to give in to their baser animal urges with men, because they can just eat chocolate instead. Anti-drug commercials remind us that it is enough to be "high on life." Similarly, Boswell reminds us that there is no need to get gonorrhea, because we have history books to read. We must recognize that those who do not study history are condemned to repeat it, and when it comes to gonorrhea, you don't want to repeat the experience a fourth time. More, we learn that the study of history can provide an outlet for our sexual urges: on Feb. 20, 1763, Boswell writes, "I employed the day in reading Hume's History, which enlarged my views, filled me with great ideas, and rendered me happy." Instead of enlarging his customary protuberance, he has grown as a person--he has learned to enlarge his "views" instead. I would really like to see a new educational campaign with slogans for adolescent males like, "I'm big--on history," and for the adolescent females, "History fills me--with great ideas!"

-Leopoldtulip