Record Number: 3980
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
" When I reached home, tired out with enthusiasm and exercise, I must needs, so soon as I had eaten, search out my stepmother that she might be a partner in my joys. It is remarkable to me now, and a disconcerting proof of my still almost infantile innocence, that, having induced her to settle to her knitting, I began, without hesitation, to read Marlowe's voluptuous poem aloud to that blameless Christian gentlewoman. We got on very well in the opening, but at the episode of Cupid's pining, my stepmother's needles began nervously to clash, and when we launched on the description of Leander's person, she interruptedme by saying, rather sharply, 'give me that book, please, I should like to read the rest to myself.' I resigned the reading in amazement, and was stupefied to see her take the volume, shut it with a snap and hide it under her needlework. Nor could I extract from her another word on the subject." [Gosse goes on to tell how his Father told him off, and burned the book]
Century:1850-1899
Date:Between 1 Jan 1865 and 31 Dec 1865
Country:England
Timeevening: Saturday evening
Place:county: Devon
location in dwelling: family home
(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Child (0-17)
Gender:Male
Date of Birth:1849
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:son of zoological writer
Religion:Plymouth Brethren
Country of Origin:England
Country of Experience:England
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
Gosse's stepmother
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:Hero and Leander
Genre:Poetry
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceowned
Source Information:
Record ID:3980
Source:Edmund Gosse
Editor:n/a
Title:Father and Son : a study of two temperments
Place of Publication:Keele
Date of Publication:1994
Vol:n/a
Page:191-192
Additional Comments:
n/a
Citation:
Edmund Gosse, Father and Son : a study of two temperments, (Keele, 1994), p. 191-192, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=3980, accessed: 17 August 2024
Additional Comments:
None