the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

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Madeleine de Scudery : Artamene; ou, Le Grand Cyrus

'I know you will pitty Poore Amestris strangly when you have read her Stoory[.] i'le swear I cryed for her when I read it first though shee were an imaginary person, and sure if any thing of that kinde can deserve it her misfortunes may.'

Century: 1600-1699     Reader/Listener/Group: Dorothy Osborne      Print: BookManuscript: Letter

Madeleine de Scudéry : Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus

'David Watson, M.A. of St. Andrews University, used to spend every spare moment of his day and whole Sundays on end with this writer [Ford] standing beside him at his pulpit and construing for him every imaginable kind of book from “Ataxerxes” of Madame de Scudéry and “Les Enfants de Capitaine Grant” by Jules Verne, to ode after ode of Tibullus, Fouqué’s “Udine” all of the “Inferno”, the greater part of “Lazarillo de Tormes” and “Don Quixote” in the original[…] In addition, Mr. Watson had this writer translate for him orally into French “The Two Admirals”, “The Deerslayer”, and “The Last of the Mohicans”—which made this writer appreciate what a magnificent prose writer Cooper was.’

Century: 1850-1899     Reader/Listener/Group: Ford Madox Ford      

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