Record Number: 26653

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

From the Commonplace book of Mrs Austen of Ensbury: '“Friendship like love is but a name, Unless to one you stint the flame” Gay.' This is followed by lines clearly inspired by this, beginning “The British fabulist misleads the mind, / Friendship and love are better thus defined…’

Century:

1800-1849, 1850-1899

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1814 and 18 Apr 1884

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

n/a

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:

Catherine Austen

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

1794

Socio-Economic Group:

Clergy (includes all denominations)

Occupation:

clergyman's wife

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

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Text Being Read:

Author:

John Gay

Title:

The Hare and Many Friends

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

26653

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Mrs [Catherine] Austen

Title:

Commonplace book

Location:

Private collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

46

Additional Information:

n/a

Citation:

Mrs [Catherine] Austen, Commonplace book, Private collection, n/a, 46, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=26653, accessed: 22 December 2024

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Additional Comments:

Mrs Austen's exact birthdate is not known. From her gravestone: 'Died April 18th 1884 in her 90th year'. This suggests she was born in 1794. The commonplace book contains references to events in 1816 and 1835, and several poems that refer to the Battle of Waterloo (1815). Since the hand is that of an adult, and the references to Waterloo appear early in the volume, but not at the very start, we have dated the reading experiences between 1814 and 1884, although this dating is tentative and it is likely that the reading experiences happened within a much narrower timeframe. For further information and permission to quote this source, contact the Reading Experience Database (http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/contacts.php).