Record Number: 28044

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Please, if you have not, and I don’t suppose you have, already read it, institute a search in all Melbourne for one of the rarest and certainly one of the best of books − [italics]Clarissa Harlowe[end italics]. For any man who takes an interest in the problem of the two sexes, that book is a perfect mine of documents. And it is written, sir, with the pen of an angel. Miss Howe and Lovelace, words cannot tell how good they are! And the scene where Clarissa beards her family, with her fan going all the while; and some of the quarrel scenes between her and Lovelace; and the scene where Colonel Marsden goes to Mr Hall, with Lord M. trying to compose matters, and the Colonel with his eternal "finest woman in the world", and the inimitable affirmation of Mowbray − nothing could be better! You will bless me when you read it for this recommendation; but, indeed, I can do nothing but recommend [italics]Clarissa[end italics].'

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

12 Sep 1877

Country:

France

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Grez
county: Seine-et-Marne

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:

Robert Louis Stevenson

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

n/a

Date of Birth:

13 Nov 1850

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer

Religion:

Uncommitted

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

France

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Samuel Richardson

Title:

Clarissa: or The History of a Young Lady.

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

First published 1747-9.

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

28044

Source:

Print

Author:

Robert Louis Stevenson

Editor:

Bradford A. Booth

Title:

The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, April 1874-July 1879

Place of Publication:

New Haven and London

Date of Publication:

1994

Vol:

2

Page:

228

Additional Comments:

Letter 492, To Arthur Patchett Martin, [December 1877], 17 Heriot Row. Co-editor Ernest Mehew. The foregoing material in square brackets has been added by the editors.

Citation:

Robert Louis Stevenson, Bradford A. Booth (ed.), The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, April 1874-July 1879, (New Haven and London, 1994), 2, p. 228, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=28044, accessed: 22 November 2024

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Additional Comments:

The character’s name in question is Captain Morden. [italics]Clarissa: or The History of a Young Lady[end italics], (1748 (for 1747)-49), epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson. See the recent Letter 482, when RLS tells his mother that he is “reading [italics]Clarissa Harlowe[end italics]”.