Record Number: 22155
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'[from the Johnsoniana imparted by Bennet Langton to Boswell in 1780] In the latter part of his life, in order to satisfy himself whether his mental faculties were impaired, he resolved that he would try to learn a new language, and fixed upon the Low Dutch, for that purpose, and this he continued till he had read about one half of "Thomas a Kempis"; and finding that there appeared no abatement of his power of acquisition, he then desisted, as thinking the experiment had been duly tried'.
Century:1700-1799
Date:Until: 31 Dec 1780
Country:England
Timen/a
Place:n/a
Type of Experience(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Male
Date of Birth:18 Sep 1709
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:writer
Religion:Anglican
Country of Origin:England
Country of Experience:England
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:Imitation of Christ
Genre:Other religious
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication Detailsin Dutch
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:22155
Source:James Boswell
Editor:R.W. Chapman
Title:Life of Johnson
Place of Publication:Oxford
Date of Publication:1980
Vol:n/a
Page:1080
Additional Comments:
n/a
Citation:
James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson, (Oxford, 1980), p. 1080, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=22155, accessed: 17 August 2024
Additional Comments:
Originally published 1791. This is possibly the title in question - or it could be a book about Thomas a Kempis.