Record Number: 20516

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'I have lately had a long bad cold, such as reduces one to trash and slops, novels and barley water, and amongst the books my friends kindly sent me to while away time was the first volume of one puffed in the newspaper, "The Last Man", by the authoress of "Frankenstein". I would not trouble them for any more of it, but really there were sentences in it so far exceeding those Don Quixote ran mad in trying to comprehend, that I could not help copying out a few of them; they would have turned Feliciano de Silva's own brains. [LS then quotes passages beginning "Her eyes were impenetrably deep" and "The overflowing warmth of her heart"...] Since the wonderful improvement that somebody who shall be nameless, together with Miss Edgeworth and one or two more, have made in novels, I imagined such stuff as this had not ventured to show its head, though I remember plenty of it in the days of my youth. So for old acquaintance-sake I give it welcome. But if the boys and girls begin afresh to take it for sublime and beautiful, it ought to get a rap and be put down'.

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Until: 24 Apr 1826

Country:

England

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:

Louisa, Lady Stuart

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

12 Aug 1757

Socio-Economic Group:

Royalty / aristocracy

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Maria Edgeworth

Title:

[Novels]

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

20516

Source:

Print

Author:

Louisa Stuart

Editor:

R. Brimley Johnson

Title:

Letters of Lady Louisa Stuart, The

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1926

Vol:

n/a

Page:

209

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Louisa Stuart, R. Brimley Johnson (ed.), Letters of Lady Louisa Stuart, The, (London, 1926), p. 209, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=20516, accessed: 21 December 2024

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Additional Comments:

Letter to Walter Scott