The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia

Description

<p><i>Rasselas</i> is a fable-like story, more apologue than novel, written by <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/samuel-johnson">Johnson</a> in 1759 to help pay for the costs of his recently-deceased mother’s funeral. While the plot is basic and the characters are thin, the work is an important philosophical piece exploring whether or not humanity can attain happiness.</p> <p>Rasselas, an Abyssinian prince, travels with his sister Nekayah, her handmaiden Pekuah, and the wise poet Imlac—a proxy for Johnson himself. Their exploration of happiness and the meaning of leading a happy life is a complex and subtle one, though the work ends with “nothing concluded.” Johnson leaves the reader to ponder: Can an individual <em>ever</em> attain happiness in any meaningful sense?</p>

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