Record Number: 30827
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'I had a most successful afternoon with Mrs [Humphrey] Ward yesterday. Their villa is a vision of beauty, looking over the Alban Lake on one side and the Campagna on the other. It's a Barberini Villa with an exquisite big garden in which are the ruins of a Villa of Domitian's. There are long ilex avenues and the grass was full of violets and cyclamen and anemones. The rooms of course very bare, but they have carpeted them and put in stoves and they are most fascinating. Mrs Ward was extremely kind. I arrived about 4 and stayed till 8 — it's only an hour from Rome [Roma]. She and I walked about on the Terraces till tea, after which she took me into her sitting room and showed me her preface to "Jane Eyre", very good I thought — so did she! "Now this is so true" she said, pointing to a passage in an impersonal way! Never mind, she was a great dear.'
Century:1850-1899
Date:2 Apr 1899
Country:Italy
Timeafternoon
evening
city: Castelgandolfo, near Rome
county: Lazio
specific address: Villa Barberini
location in dwelling: Sitting room
(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:16 Jul 1868
Socio-Economic Group:Gentry
Occupation:Oxford graduate, language student, yet to take up formal occupation as archaeologist and political advisor
Religion:originally Christian (Anglican) by now declared atheist
Country of Origin:England
Country of Experience:Italy
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:Preface to "Jane Eyre"
Genre:Essays / Criticism
Form of Text:Unknown
Publication DetailsPreface to "Jane Eyre" in Haworth edition of Life and Works of Charlotte Bronte and her Sisters, London: Smith,Elder 1899
Provenanceread in situ
Source Information:
Record ID:30827
Source - Manuscript:Other
Information:
Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk
Additional Information:
Letter from Gertrude Bell to Florence Bell 2 April 1899 hhttp://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/letter_details.php?letter_id=1047
Citation:
Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=30827, accessed: 18 July 2024
Additional Comments:
Since the edition appeared in 1899, it is not clear whether Gertrude Bell was shown the MS or the published book.