Record Number: 32435
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
(1) 'I also bought a French Book on the Poetry of the middle ages — so you see dear Oxford is a dangerous place for a book lover.' (2) 'I am now reading in French this book on French literature of the Middle Ages which at least to me is very interesting.' (3) 'I have finished my book on French Literature (admirable, excellent, exquisite)...'
Century:1900-1945
Date:Between 2 Feb 1917 and 20 Feb 1917
Country:England
Timen/a10.00-11.00 pm, except Wednesdays
Place:Great Bookham
Surrey
'Gastons'
Bedroom
(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:Male
Date of Birth:29 Nov 1898
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:Student
Religion:Church of England
Country of Origin:Northern Ireland
Country of Experience:England
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:La Litterature francaise au moyen age (XI-XIV siecle)
Genre:Essays / Criticism, Poetry, Textbook / self-education, Studies in mediaeval French literature
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication DetailsIn the original French; first published by Librairie Hachette, Paris (1888)
Provenanceowned
Source Information:
Record ID:32435
Source:C. S. Lewis
Editor:Walter Hooper
Title:C. S. Lewis Collected Letters
Place of Publication:London
Date of Publication:2000
Vol:1
Page:269, 274, 282
Additional Comments:
(1) From a letter to Arthur Greeves, 28 January 1917 (2) From a letter to the same, 7 February 1917 (3) From a letter to the same, 20 February 1917
Citation:
C. S. Lewis, Walter Hooper (ed.), C. S. Lewis Collected Letters, (London, 2000), 1, p. 269, 274, 282, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=32435, accessed: 18 July 2024
Additional Comments:
In his letter of the 7th February, Lewis says that he reads French 'from 10-11 every night except Wednesday'. He does not mention which book he had bought; the title described above seems the most likely, and is the one cited by Hooper in a footnote. There were various editions, each with additions and corrections; the 5th edition was published by Hachette in 1914. Another possiblility is: 'La Poesie du Moyen-Age: lecons et lectures' published in two volumes (1885) and (1895), also by Hachette. Gaston Paris (1839-1903) was regarded as the highest authority in France on the philology of the Romance languages, and noted for the clarity of his writings. He was nominated three times for the Nobel Prize in literature.