Two Everyman Classics in One Volume: 'The History Of Rasselas, Prince Of Abissinia' and 'Dinarbas; A Tale'
Samuel Johnson's 'Rasselas' explores an irresolvable philosophical question: where can human happiness be found? Rasselas, raised within the confines of the utopian Happy Valley, escapes and with his companions visits all segments of society who profess to offer happiness and depicts what he sees as the paradox of the human condition - the continual conflict between desire and possibility.
Where Johnson's 'Rasselas' leaves off, Knight's 'Dinarbas' begins. Rasselas and his companions (with some additions) find themselves faced with new circumstances, such as war, and are forced to rethink some of their earlier judgements. Knight revises Johnson's thesis from the perspective of a woman. Raising issues of cultural, gender and class difference, Knight asks whether the "choice of life" is equally available to everyone.
