Switch to English Switch to French

The Open University  |   Study at the OU  |   About the OU  |   Research at the OU  |   Search the OU

Listen to this page  |   Accessibility

the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 25721


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Lady Harriet Cavendish to her former governess, Selina Trimmer, 9 November 1803: 'I have at present a [italics]Johnson[end italics] mania upon me, which I hope you will allow is better than a [italics]novel[end italics] one. I have been [italics]re[end italics]-reading Mrs. Piozzi and Boswell. The latter I think very entertaining, and it is so long since I had read it that I had almost forgotten it. I have hardly patience with Boswell's conceit and pride and wish he would fancy himself a secondary personage [French], as he almost always prefers telling one what he thought and did, to Johnson, and he is too uninteresting to make it ever excusable.'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Between 1 Oct 1803 and 9 Nov 1803

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: London
specific address: Devonshire House

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


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Lady Harriet Cavendish

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

Aug 1785

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



Text Being Read:

Author:

James Boswell

Title:

Life of Samuel Johnson

Genre:

Essays / Criticism, Biography, Autobiog / Diary

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

25721

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

Sir George Leveson Gower and Iris Palmer

Title:

Hary-o: The Letters of Lady Harriet Cavendish 1796-1809

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1940

Vol:

n/a

Page:

67

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Sir George Leveson Gower and Iris Palmer (ed.), Hary-o: The Letters of Lady Harriet Cavendish 1796-1809, (London, 1940), p. 67, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=25721, accessed: 25 November 2024


Additional Comments:

None

   
   
Green Turtle Web Design