The two most engaging powers of an author: new things are made familiar, and familiar things are made new.

Johnson’s remark identifies a double gift at the heart of effective writing: the ability to domesticate novelty and to refresh what has grown stale through habit. “New things made familiar” points to clarity, analogy, and orderly explanation—bringing readers into unfamiliar subjects without intimidation. “Familiar things made new” points to wit, striking diction, and unexpected perspective—restoring vividness to everyday experience. Taken together, the line sketches a theory of literary pleasure and persuasion: readers are engaged when they both understand and are surprised. It also implies a standard for criticism: great authors enlarge comprehension while renewing perception.