Two Griffiths: At the origins of English biography

The article highlights the initial stage of the formation of English literary biography in the 1740s-1790s. It is associated with the names of Samuel Johnson and James Boswell. The author of the article suggests that literary biographies have come out from the pen of these writers, which differ significantly in their typological characteristics. The purpose of the study is to determine the types of English literary biography of the 18th century. The scientific novelty lies in the consideration of the stated problems on the basis of the recently introduced monument of world literature into the circulation of Russian literary criticism – “Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets” (1781) by S. Johnson. As a result of the conducted research, the goal has been achieved, two different types of biography that developed by the end of the 18th century have been identified: literary-critical and diary. The features of each of the two types of biographical description are analyzed, determined, in particular, by the composition and image of the narrator. In conclusion, an observation is made about the prospects for further research related to the study of modifications of two types of biography of the 18th century in the literature of the 19th-21st centuries.