Record Number: 8582
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'When I come here we play at battlecock and shuttledore and mama reads Shakespear in the evening[.] When she goes with [Ann?] up stairs to sleep John Fred Will and I generally raill [sic] out a song with a machine that would frighten you in the great hall while the Men drink in the dining room'.
Century:1700-1799
Date:Between 16 Nov 1797 and 17 Dec 1797
Country:England
Timeevening
Place:city: London
specific address: Devonshire House
(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:Female
Date of Birth:16 Jun 1761
Socio-Economic Group:Royalty / aristocracy
Occupation:socialite, influential member of the Whig political elite
Religion:Christian
Country of Origin:England
Country of Experience:England
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
Lady Caroline's brothers John William, Frederick, and William, and perhaps an unknown woman named Ann.
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:unknown
Genre:Drama, Poetry
Form of Text:Unknown
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:8582
Source:Lady Caroline Lamb (n?e Ponsonby)
Editor:Paul Douglass
Title:The Whole Disgraceful Truth: Selected Letters of Lady Caroline Lamb
Place of Publication:New York
Date of Publication:2006
Vol:n/a
Page:10-11
Additional Comments:
Letter to Lady Georgiana Cavendish
Citation:
Lady Caroline Lamb (n?e Ponsonby), Paul Douglass (ed.), The Whole Disgraceful Truth: Selected Letters of Lady Caroline Lamb, (New York, 2006), p. 10-11, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=8582, accessed: 29 September 2024
Additional Comments:
Lady Caroline's letter seems to imply that her mother read Shakespeare aloud to her brothers. Given that the letter describes her routine at Devonshire House, it would seem that the reading of Shakespeare was a serial event. The letter also seems to imply that Lady Caroline herself was not a listener.