Record Number: 26379
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'[At Halnaby, on honeymoon] she [Anne Isabella Milbanke] was reading Dryden's Don Sebastian, which treats of incest, and happened to ask Byron [husband] a question. He said angrily: "Where did you hear that?" '"I looked up and saw that he was holding over me the dagger which he usually wore. I replied, "Oh, only from this book." I was not afraid -- I was persuaded he only did it to terrify me. He put the dagger down and said (I am sure I say it without a feeling of vanity) "If anything could make me believe in heaven, it is the expression of your countenance at this moment."'
Century:1800-1849
Date:Between 1 Jan 1815 and 1 Mar 1815
Country:England
Timen/a
Place:county: Yorkshire
specific address: Halnaby Hall
(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:Female
Date of Birth:17 May 1792
Socio-Economic Group:Royalty / aristocracy
Occupation:n/a
Religion:n/a
Country of Origin:n/a
Country of Experience:England
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:Don Sebastian
Genre:Poetry
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:26379
Source:Ethel Colburn Mayne
Editor:n/a
Title:The Life and Letters of Anne Isabella, Lady Noel Byron
Place of Publication:London
Date of Publication:1929
Vol:n/a
Page:162
Additional Comments:
n/a
Citation:
Ethel Colburn Mayne, The Life and Letters of Anne Isabella, Lady Noel Byron, (London, 1929), p. 162, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=26379, accessed: 13 March 2025
Additional Comments:
Byron sensitive regarding topic of incest owing to his own relations with his half-sister Augusta Leigh.
