Record Number: 31733

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Meeting held at 39, Eastern Avenue. 20. 8. 40
A. B. Dilks in the chair.
1. The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved.
2. The Treasurer presented his Report. This differed somewhat from the Report made by the retiring Treasurer at our last meeting, & either for this reason, or perhaps because she was told she had not yet paid her Subscription, Janet Rawlings proposed that in future a receipt should be given by the Treasurer for all money paid to him. The proposal was seconded by Edith Smith & passed unanimously by the meeting.
3. A letter was read from Ethel Stevens regretting that owing to the present difficulty of attending meetings, she must resign from the club. The Secretary was instructed to write to her, regretfully accepting her resignation.
[...]
6. Mary S. W. Pollard started the Literary General Knowledge Test by questioning us in poetry and the poets. Questions which we found singularly difficult to answer.
7. Margaret Dilks proceeded to test our knowledge of prose by reading three short character sketches from novels. Most people had no difficulty in identifying these as Mr. Pickwick, Mr. & Mrs. Bennett and Soames Forsyte.
8. After coffee we were faced with the Herculean task of answering a General Knowledge paper consisting of 9 sections, each of about 10 questions. This paper was set by Howard Smith and A. B. Dilkes and we are very grateful to them for the time & trouble they took in compiling it. [...] “Time” was called at 10 o’clock and the chairman then read out the answers. The integrity of the Club was not questioned so we each corrected our own papers. [It was a matter for regret that the two sections calling for original composition should have been left out by so many members ...]

[signed by] Howard R. Smith
13/9/1940'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

20 Aug 1940

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Reading
county: Berkshire
specific address: 39, Eastern Avenue

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Margaret Dilks

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

1912

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

Quaker or associated with the Friends

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

England

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

Members of the XII Book Club

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Jane Austen

Title:

Pride and Prejudice

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

31733

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Margaret Dilks

Title:

XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943)

Location:

private collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

70–3

Additional Information:

Margaret Dilks was appointed secretary to the XII Book Club in July 1940

Citation:

Margaret Dilks, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943), private collection, 70–3, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=31733, accessed: 22 November 2024

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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).