Record Number: 27661

---

Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'The remainder of the evening was devoted to a play-reading from Oliver Goldsmith's 'The Goodnatured Man'. Although this play was Goldsmith's first experiment in writing for the theatre & contains many obvious faults it succeeded in obtaining a fair hearing at its first production in 1768 & brought the author a sum of £500. It has a rather weak plot & the character of Honeywood is not well brought out. Undoubtedly Croaker saved the piece, with help from Lofts. The reading of the play by members of the club made an interesting & enjoyable evening. The play certainly goes better in dialogue than when read through to oneself, although there is too little action in it for any success for acting. In this respect it is much inferior to 'She Stoops to Conquer'. [a lengthy cast list is given]

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Until: 9 Jun 1922

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Reading

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:

Ernest E. Unwin

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

1881

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

Quaker or associated with the Friends

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:

Oliver Goldsmith

Title:

Good-natured Man, The

Genre:

Drama

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

reading group

---

Source Information:

Record ID:

27661

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Ernest E Unwin

Title:

XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 2 (1915-31)

Location:

private collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

103-4

Additional Information:

n/a

Citation:

Ernest E Unwin, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 2 (1915-31) , private collection, n/a, 103-4, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=27661, accessed: 21 December 2024

---

Additional Comments:

Material by kind permission of the XII Book Club. For further information and permission to quote this source, contact the Reading Experience Database (http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/contacts.php).