Record Number: 31447
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'Meeting held at 72 Shinfield Road Monday 23rd Feb. 1942. A. G. Joselin in the Chair
1. Minutes of the last meeting were read & signed.
[...]
3. The chairman reported that the committee had considered how best to plan an evening of
“discussion” and could think of no better way than to hold a
Brains Trust in which all could take part. Members had been asked to send in questions and a
list of 21 [only twelve are listed and discussed] was before us
[...].
4. After an interval for refreshment and for a general sharpening of wits, the fun began. It
would be impossible without giving a verbatim report to do justice
to the chopping of logic and the wise-cracking which took place.
We were asked the meaning of ‘classic’. F. E. Pollard mentioned the importance of form and
the minds of certain people immediately turned to horse-racing.
[...]
Finally we got considerable amusement out of guessing who had asked each question.
[...]
List of Questions.
1). What are the criteria of classic & classical in the Arts?
2). Why do wild duck fly in V formation?
3). Is emotion responsible for physical sensation?
4). Do you think that the problems confronting the world at the present time could be more
easily solved if all spoke the same language?
5.) What is the origin of: Limerick, Left in the Lurch, Sent to Coventry?
6.) Does the moon really affect the tides or do both obey some fundamental law?
7). Is it possible to teach every child to sing?
8). Who and where are the Prophets of today?
8). Why used it to be the correct thing for a bride to weep at her wedding?
10.) What animals sleep standing and why?
11). How do hawks hover?
12). At which incident in History would you most like to have been present?'
1900-1945
Date:23 Feb 1942
Country:England
Timeevening
Place:city: Reading
county: Berkshire
specific address: 72, Shinfield Road
(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Male
Date of Birth:n/a
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:n/a
Religion:Quaker
Country of Origin:Unknown
Country of Experience:England
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
Members of the XII Book Club
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author:[Unidentified member of the XII Book Club (edited by a committee of the club)]
Title:[Brains trust question on the criteria of classic and classical in the Arts]
Genre:Arts / architecture, Ephemera, Questions for discussion groups; Classics; Classicism
Form of Text:Manuscript: Unknown
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenancereading group
Source Information:
Record ID:31447
Source:Manuscript
Author:Margaret Dilks
Title:XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943)
Location:private collection
Call No:n/a
Page/Folio:113-118
Additional Information:
n/a
Citation:
Margaret Dilks, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943), private collection, 113-118, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=31447, accessed: 27 September 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).