Midwinter · Character

Mr. Samuel Johnson

A learned, opinionated Englishman whose company Alastair takes for protection on the road north, and whose judgments on women and duty cut deeper than any sword.

major

Also known as Johnson, Mr. Johnson, Samuel, Sam

First appearance: i in which a highland gentleman misses his way

See Mr. Samuel Johnson in i in which a highland gentleman misses his way Book page

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Johnson is the travelling companion and moral counterweight to Alastair's soldierly impulses, a man whose learning gives him confident verdicts on everything from loyalty to love. His pronouncement that some women give once in life and then utterly and forever haunts Alastair at the very moment he must decide whether to shatter a heart or save it. As the pair ride through fog and flood toward Derby, Johnson's presence keeps the story's private dilemmas as urgent as its political ones.

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See Mr. Samuel Johnson in i in which a highland gentleman misses his way

Character Web

43 connections

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Main conspirators and nobles
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Alastair’s emotional peak occurs when his selfless, quixotic resolve to protect Claudia’s love collapses into…

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In the story

Mr. Samuel Johnson appears across 15 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

III: In Which Private Matters Cut Across Affairs of State
Arrives at Cornbury exhausted and hungry, urgently pleading for help to rescue Miss Grevel from Sir John Norreys; reveals his identity as a poet and writer.
Mr. Kyd of Greyhouses
Mentioned by Mr. Kyd as the 'daft dominie' met at Cornbury, who wanted to chase a runaway lassie.
V: Chance-Medley
The tutor of Chastlecote, who defends Alastair and himself by challenging the ringleader to a fistfight, proving his Englishness.
VI: Introduces the Runaway Lady
Arrested alongside Alastair; released through Lady Norreys' intervention.
How a Man May Hunt with the Hounds and Yet Run with the Hare
Mentioned as Lady Norreys' companion and protector on her planned journey to Derbyshire.
Broom at the Crossroads
Mentioned as having made accusations against Kyd at Cornbury, which now appear justified.
X: Snowbound at the Sleeping Deer
Suffers a melancholic fit after the previous night's exhilaration, discusses Homeric chiefs and the Jacobite cause with Lady Norreys.
Duchess Kitty on the Road
Present at the Sleeping Deer and will accompany the Duchess to Brightwell.
XV: Bids Farewell to a Scots Laird
Denounces Kyd as a 'canting rogue' and delivers a famous rebuke about patriotism.
XVI: Bids Farewell to an English Lady
Pleads with Alastair to save Lady Norreys from the shame of her husband's treason; argues she would never love again if she lost Sir John.
XVII: Ordeal of Honour
Accompanies Alastair, pleads with him to go to Derby instead, and witnesses the duel with emotional intensity.
In Which Three Gentlemen Confess Their Nakedness
Confesses his nakedness: poor, ill-favored, and harassed by bodily affliction. Admits fear of death and declares he will get a sword and fight for the Prince, though Alastair forbids it.
Ramoth-Gilead
Reluctantly parts from Alastair, keeps his sword as a memento, and is prevented by Oglethorpe from crossing into Scotland.
Postscript
Writes a letter from Gough Square in 1748, repaying a loan and reflecting on their shared Odyssey; working on his great dictionary.
Endnotes
Subject of the referenced biography.

Chapter companion notes

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