How did James Boswell’s wife’s death affect his later life?

James Boswell’s wife, Margaret Montgomerie, died on June 4, 1789, while suffering from tuberculosis. Boswell was not at her side when she passed, as he had remained in London to focus on his writing and his obligations to the earl of Lonsdale, despite her desperate desire to return to Auchinleck.1

Her death contributed to a period of profound unhappiness in Boswell's later life. Following the publication of his major work, The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D., in 1791, Boswell felt like a failure despite his literary fame. His personal life became increasingly difficult; he struggled with social isolation as people grew wary of his presence, fearing he would report their conversations, and he developed a habit of becoming drunk and noisy in public settings. Although he maintained deep, loving relationships with his five children and a few loyal friends, such as Edmund Malone, his final years remained largely melancholy until his death in 1795.1