Question

George Steevens critiqued a work of this type that was announced weeks after the publication of a similar work by Thomas Tyers. That work of this type was by John Hawkins. A diary of “table talk” called the Thraliana informed a work of this type by Hester Thrale. A work of this type describes the freed Jamaican slave Francis Barber and an oyster-fed cat named Hodge. (10[1])Involuntary tics (10[1])described in works of this type led to a posthumous Tourette’s diagnosis for their subject, who in one of these works kicks a stone to refute George Berkeley’s (-5[1])idealism. The most famous work of this type was built off of the earlier travelogue The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides. (-5[1])For 10 points, name this type of work, one of which by James Boswell (-5[1])details days in the life of the British author of a 1755 Dictionary. ■END■ (10[2]0[1])

ANSWER: biography of Samuel Johnson [prompt on biography (by Boswell) by asking “of whom?”; accept Life of Samuel Johnson; accept Dr Johnson in place of “Samuel Johnson”]
<British Literature>
= Average correct buzz position

Back to tossups

Buzzes

PlayerTeamOpponentBuzz PositionValue
Moses KitakuleColumbia ARowan6510
Andrew HannaPennNYU B6710
Halle FriedmanNYU AHaverford95-5
Jerry VinokurovJohn JayVassar118-5
David BassJohns HopkinsColumbia C132-5
Sam Macchi (DII)VassarJohn Jay1460
Andre WongColumbia CJohns Hopkins14610
Ethan Furman (DII)HaverfordNYU A14610