Samuel Johnson was broke. His mother had just died in 1759, and he needed cash fast to pay for her funeral. So, he sat down and hammered out Rasselas Prince of Abyssinia in a single week. You’d think a book written that quickly would be trash, right? Honestly, it’s the opposite. It became one of the most famous philosophical "oriental tales" ever written.
People call it a novel. It isn’t, really. It’s more like a long, snarky therapy session disguised as a travelogue. If you’ve ever felt like you have everything you need but you’re still somehow miserable, Johnson is talking directly to you.
The Weird Trap of the Happy Valley
The story starts in Abyssinia, which is modern-day Ethiopia. Rasselas is a prince living in the "Happy Valley." Sounds great, yeah? It’s a literal paradise. High mountains, lush greenery, every food you can imagine, and endless musicians. But here’s the kicker: nobody can leave until they are called to the throne.
Rasselas is 26. He’s bored out of his mind. He realizes that when a goat is full, it sleeps. When he is full, he’s restless.
Why Paradise is Actually a Prison
The Prince meets an old philosopher who tells him he's being a brat. The old man describes the misery of the outside world—wars, hunger, sickness. Rasselas basically says, "Cool, I want to see that." He isn't looking for pleasure; he’s looking for a choice of life. That’s the big phrase Johnson uses. It's the search for a way to live that actually makes sense.
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He tries to fly out first. He hires an "engineer" to build wings. It’s one of the first depictions of a flying machine in English literature. It fails miserably. The guy jumps into a lake and almost drowns.
Escaping to Cairo: The Reality Check
Eventually, Rasselas teams up with his sister Nekayah, her lady-in-waiting Pekuah, and a wise poet named Imlac. They tunnel out. They finally get to Cairo, and this is where the book gets real. They decide to systematically interview everyone to see who is actually happy.
- The Young and Wild: They hang out with young party animals. Result? They’re shallow and terrified of getting old.
- The Stoic Philosopher: He gives a brilliant speech about controlling emotions. Then his daughter dies, and he's a wreck. Philosophy didn't save him.
- The Wealthy: They live in fear of the government taking their money or their heads.
- The Simple Life: They visit shepherds. They find out the shepherds are actually ignorant, bitter, and hate their lives.
It's a brutal montage of "Nope, not here either."
The Kidnapping Subplot
There is a weird bit where Pekuah gets kidnapped by Arab horsemen at the Pyramids. Nekayah is devastated. It takes seven months to get her back. When Pekuah returns, she tells them about life in the Arab camp. Even the powerful chief isn’t happy. He’s just a man trying to keep his power.
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The Mad Astronomer and the Danger of Solitude
One of the most moving parts of Rasselas Prince of Abyssinia involves an astronomer Imlac knows. The guy is a genius, but he's spent too much time alone. He starts believing he can actually control the weather. He thinks he’s responsible for the seasons.
Johnson was obsessed with the "dangerous prevalence of imagination." He believed that if you stay in your own head too long, you go crazy. The travelers eventually help the astronomer by just talking to him. Human connection, it turns out, is the only thing that keeps us sane. It's a very modern take on mental health from a guy writing in the 1700s.
Nothing Concluded: The Ending No One Expects
Most stories have a "happily ever after." Not this one. The final chapter is literally titled "The Conclusion, in which Nothing is Concluded."
The Nile floods. They’re stuck inside. They talk about what they’ve learned.
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- Pekuah wants to retire to a convent.
- Nekayah wants to found a college for women.
- Rasselas wants to rule a perfect little kingdom.
But they all realize these are just more fantasies. The book ends with them deciding to just go back to Abyssinia. They don't find the secret. They just find that everyone is struggling.
Why You Should Care in 2026
We live in a "Happy Valley" of sorts. We have instant delivery, endless streaming, and more comfort than a 17th-century king. Yet, we're still checking our phones every five minutes for a hit of dopamine. Johnson knew that human desire is like a "hunger of imagination." It can't be filled.
Practical Steps for the "Rasselas" Life
If you're feeling like a Prince in a bored valley, here is what Johnson (via Imlac) would tell you to do:
- Stop looking for the "Perfect Choice": There is no perfect career or perfect partner. Every state of life has its own specific brand of misery. Pick the one whose problems you can handle.
- Engage with Reality: The astronomer went mad because he lived in his head. Go outside. Talk to people who are nothing like you.
- Acknowledge the Struggle: Happiness isn't a destination. It’s a series of moments between different types of work.
- Read the Source: Grab a copy of the 1759 text. It's short. You can read it in a few hours, and it’ll make you feel better about not having your life together.
Ultimately, Johnson’s message isn't that life sucks. It’s that life is complicated. By accepting that total happiness is a myth, you actually stop stressing about not being happy all the time. That, in a weird way, is the only way to find peace.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Knowledge
To truly grasp the weight of Johnson's philosophy, compare Rasselas with Voltaire’s Candide, which was published in the same year. While Voltaire uses sharp satire to mock optimism, Johnson uses a more somber, psychological approach to explore the same theme. You might also look into Johnson's own biography, particularly his struggles with clinical depression, to see how his personal life bled into the character of the restless Prince. Finally, visiting a local library to find an annotated edition of the 1759 text will help clarify the "orientalism" tropes of the era and how Johnson subverted them.