Record Number: 19843

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'[start of this passage found in database entries 9840-2] 'It was a letter from Lord [italics] Bolingbroke [end italics], Dated six o'Clock in the Morning; it began with a remark, how differently that Hour appeared to him now, rising cool, serene, and temperate, to contemplate the Beauties of Nature, to what it had done in some former Parts of his Life, when he was either in the midst of Excesses, or returning Home sated with them [Pilkington continues to summarise the 'moral philosophy' of the letter and professes herself delighted with all his other letters] Nor can I be at all surprized that Mr [italics] Pope [end italics] should so often celebrate a Genius who for sublimity of Thought, and elegance of Stile, had few Equals. The rest of the Dean's Correspondents were, the Lady [italics] Masham [end italics], the Earl of [italics] Oxford [end italics] [a long list of others, ending] Mr [italics] Pope [end italics], Mr [italics] Gay [end italics], Dr [italics] Arbuthnot [end italics]; A Noble and learned Set! So my Readers may judge what a Banquet I had. I cou'd not avoid remarking to the Dean, that notwithstanding the Friendship Mr [italics] Pope [end italics] professed for Mr [italics] Gay [end italics], he cou'd not forbear a great many Satyrical, or if I might be allowed to say so, envious Remarks on the success of the [italics] Beggar's Opera [end italics] The Dean very frankly own'd, he did not think Mr [italics] Pope [end italics] was so candid to the Merits of other Writers, as he ought to be. I then ventur'd to ask the Dean, whether he thought the Lines Mr [italics] Pope [end italics] addresses him with, in the Beginning of the [italics] Dunciad [end italics], were any Compliment to him? [italics] viz O Thou! whatever Title please thine Ear. [end italics] 'I believe', says he, they were meant as such, but they are very stiff'; - 'Indeed, Sir, said I, 'he is so perfectly a Master of harmonious Numbers, that had his Heart been in the least affected with his Subject, he must have writ better'

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

From: 30 Nov 1729

Country:

Ireland

Time

n/a

Place:

n/a

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Laetitia Pilkington

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

1708

Socio-Economic Group:

Clergy (includes all denominations)

Occupation:

clergyman's wife

Religion:

Anglican

Country of Origin:

Ireland

Country of Experience:

Ireland

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Alexander Pope

Title:

Dunciad

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

19843

Source:

Print

Author:

Laetitia Pilkington

Editor:

A.C. Elias

Title:

Memoirs of Laetitia Pilkington

Place of Publication:

Athens GA

Date of Publication:

1997

Vol:

I

Page:

33-4

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Laetitia Pilkington, A.C. Elias (ed.), Memoirs of Laetitia Pilkington, (Athens GA, 1997), I, p. 33-4, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=19843, accessed: 22 November 2024

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Additional Comments:

None