Record Number: 20892

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'During Preparation one wild autumn evening in St Monica's gymnasium, when the wind shook the unsubstantial walls and a tiny crescent of moon, glimpsed through a skylight in the roof, scudded in and out of the flying clouds, I first read Shelley's "Adonais", which taught me in the most startling and impressive fashion of my childhood's experience to perceive beauty embodied in literature, and made me finally determine to become the writer that I had dreamed of being ever since I was seven years old.'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 29 Dec 1906 and 31 Dec 1912

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Kingswood
county: Surrey
specific address: St Monica's School
location in dwelling: Gymnasium

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:

Vera Brittain

Age:

Child (0-17)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

29 Dec 1893

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

writer

Religion:

unknown

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:

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Title:

Adonais

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

20892

Source:

Print

Author:

Vera Brittain

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Testament of Youth

Place of Publication:

Great Britain

Date of Publication:

1978

Vol:

n/a

Page:

40

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth, (Great Britain, 1978), p. 40, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=20892, accessed: 13 March 2025

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Additional Comments:

None