Record Number: 20732

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Herewith you receive the rest of Henley’s hospital work. He was much pleased by what you said of him, and asked me to forward these to you for your opinion; the pencil marks are principally Payne’s. One poem at least, the “Spring Sorrow”, which seems to me the most beautiful, I hope you will communicate to Madame. I thank God for this [italics]petit bout de consolation[end italics], that by Henley’s own account, this one more lovely thing in the world is not altogether without some trace of my influence: let me say that I have been something sympathetic which the mother found and contemplated while she yet carried it in her womb. This, in my profound discouragement, is a great thing for me; if I cannot do good work myself, at least, it seems, I can help others better inspired; I am at least a skilful accoucheur.'

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

Between Feb 1875 and 19 Jul 1875

Country:

Scotland

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Edinburgh
county: Lothian

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:

Robert Louis Stevenson

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

13 Nov 1850

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer (he has now passed his law exams and can devote himself to writing).

Religion:

Uncommitted

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

Scotland

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

William Ernest Henley

Title:

[second series of] Hospital Poems

Genre:

Poetry, Arts / architecture

Form of Text:

Manuscript: Unknown

Publication Details

See 11, Additional Comments.

Provenance

borrowed (private library)
Entrusted to RLS for his good offices re possible publication.

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Source Information:

Record ID:

20732

Source:

Print

Author:

Robert Louis Stevenson

Editor:

Bradford A. Booth

Title:

The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, April 1874-July 1879

Place of Publication:

New Haven and London

Date of Publication:

1994

Vol:

2

Page:

150, 152

Additional Comments:

Letter 406, To Sidney Colvin, [c. 19 July 1875], [Swanston]. Co-editor Ernest Mehew. The material in square brackets has been added by the editors.

Citation:

Robert Louis Stevenson, Bradford A. Booth (ed.), The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, April 1874-July 1879, (New Haven and London, 1994), 2, p. 150, 152, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=20732, accessed: 22 November 2024

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Additional Comments:

On p.150, the Editors’ Note 1 reads: “The MS of the second series of Henley’s Hospital Poems was among Colvin’s papers at the time of his death [which took place in 1927]. According to Anderson, 7 May 1928 (214),” [this reference does not seem to tally with the dates of the “Anderson I-III” item in the Short Titles part of the Sources list of the Booth-Mehew edition of the Correspondence] “ it contains eighteen poems, only nine of which have been published. ‘Spring Sorrow’ eventually became ‘pastoral’(No. XXII in the ‘In Hospital’ section of "A Book of Verses", 1888.”