Boswells Clap and Other Essays

by William B. Ober

Hardcover.

303 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[W.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's much more interesting and smart and worthwhile than the title would seem to imply. The author also has a good head for criticism to complement that medical degree, and really researches his authors in an encylopedic, almost obsessive-compulsive manner. The end result is great dish and smart critical assessments. He disabuses the reader of many false notions about some of the great dead ones. For example, the author speculates on what manner of death Socrates probably really suffered with that draught of hemlock, as opposed to the accounts given by Plato in writing or David in his celebrated painting. And the reader learns that D.H. Lawrence was not really such a nice guy, even if he was a great writer. In fact, he was mostly a bumptious prick. Tra la. But it's good stuff. It's like the STARS NOT NORMAL of Western Civ.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have come to like reading essays, and this book is a series of essays from the perspective of a doctor, about literary figures. The longest essay is about James Boswell and his 18 doses of gonorrhoea. Dr Ober tries hard not to be judgemental, but I cannot help feeling that there was a note of disapproval. Many of the other essays rely a lot on Freudian analysis, which I think has now been somewhat overtaken by different approaches to psycho analysis. Nonetheless it is a very learned discussion, and I found that there were occasionally unfamiliar to me, which is, if I may be bold, a little unusual for me. I don’t think this author would be capable of writing an up-to-date addition, but it would be interesting to consider the analysis through a more modern lens. Leaving aside of the psychoanalysis, the medical descriptions are fascinating. it does make me feel grateful for modern medicine, as many of the illnesses described would have been relatively easy to treat although the current antiscience movement in the United States may mean that much of the illnesses reappear

[Sandra Strange]

I expected this one to be more inclusive than it is. The book discusses a very few early English authors and their nasty diseases. Many pages discuss Boswell's venereal diseases and how he got them in lots of R rated detail, then other author's unpleasant diseases, including sexual problems, drug taking, and mental illness. Not pleasant, very explicit, and seemingly a bit biased (toward the most negative) in the details the author favors and includes.

[Gary Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense—but worth it—reading. A good companion volume to "Orwell's Cough," by John Ross