Record Number: 31787

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Meeting held at “Hilliers”, Northcourt Avenue. 18.XI.40
    Rosamund Wallis in the chair.

[...]

4. Roger Moore gave us a biographical sketch of John Keats chiefly as revealed through his letters. To him Keats was memorable as much for the man he was as for what he wrote. We heard of Keats’ ideals, his religion as revealed in his letters in spite of his professed unbelief, of his family and circle of close friends and of his tragic & untimely death. In conclusion Roger Moore asked whether anyone could set his mind at rest with regard to Ruth in tears amid the alien corn. His knowledge of the Scriptures led him to suppose that Ruth was extremely happy in her exile, in which case Keats himself would have been the first to admit that an idea lacking truth could not be beautiful. This led to some discussion on Ruth and exiles in general and Howard Smith suggested that it was strange that Keats had selected Ruth when there had been so many famous exiles through whose really sad hearts the self-same song might have found a path. He thought Iphigenia would have been a better choice, but it was generally felt that the sadness of her exile was somewhat outweighed by the length of her name.

[...]


[signed] Howard R. Smith
13/12/40'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Until: 18 Nov 1940

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Reading
county: Berkshire

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:

Roger Moore

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

n/a

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

John Keats

Title:

Ode to a Nightingale

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

31787

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Margaret Dilks

Title:

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

Location:

private collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

79–82

Additional Information:

n/a

Citation:

Margaret Dilks, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943), private collection, 79–82, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=31787, accessed: 22 November 2024

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Additional Comments:

Reading in preparation for the biographical sketch of John Keats which he presented at the meeting.
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).