Final answer:
Boswell's biography of Johnson is regarded as pioneering due to its unprecedented level of detail, intimate portrayal, and incorporation of anecdotes and personal observations, which provided a new depth to the genre of biographical writing.
Step-by-step explanation:
Boswell's biography of Johnson is considered a new type of biography because it introduced a level of detail and a focus on everyday life that was unprecedented at the time. Boswell included anecdotes, personal observations, and a level of intimacy in his portrayal of Samuel Johnson which differed significantly from the more reserved and formal biographical styles of earlier works. His in-depth approach, including direct conversation, gave readers insights into Johnson's character in a way that felt more immediate and personable.
Boswell was thorough in documenting Johnson's life, combining Boswell's personal experiences with comprehensive research. He did not just chronicle the public events of Johnson's life, but also delved into his private conversations and personal quirks. This created a vivid, layered depiction of the subject, which has since become a model for modern biographical writing.
The innovation Boswell brought to the genre was his emphasis on the authenticity of the subject's voice and the depiction of the full spectrum of Johnson's personality, rather than just a public persona or a list of achievements. By using elements that are more common in novels, such as dialogue and detailed scene-setting, Boswell's work blurs the line between traditional biography and narrative storytelling, establishing a new standard for how the stories of lives could be told.