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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 10049


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

[Item transcribed into a commonplace book]: [Title] 'Lines addressed to a Lady who had suffered much and long affliction'; [Text] 'Reviewing June's perennial flight/ We mark some lovely hours/ Like stars amidst a stormy night/ Or winter blooming flowers ...; 1st In happier hours my pleasure all day/ Was to rove with the thoughtless and dance with the gay/ Through life as I sported no clouds could I see/ And the hearts that were gayest were dearest to me/ But now in affliction how chang'd is the view/ Tho' gay hearts are many sincere ones are few. 2nd Tho' some come around us to laugh and to jest/ In sickness or sorrow they shrink from the test/ ... 3rd But thou in my sorrow still faithfully came/ And tho' I am alter'd, I find you the same...' [total = 2 x 4 line verses followed by 3 x 6 lines verses labelled '1st', '2nd', '3rd']

Century:

1800-1849, 1850-1899

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1810 and 31 Dec 1871

Country:

n/a

Time

n/a

Place:

n/a

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


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Magdalene Sharpe- Erskine

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

1787

Socio-Economic Group:

Gentry

Occupation:

Daughter of a Scottish land owning family

Religion:

Anglican

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

n/a

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a


Additional Comments:

Identity of reader is tentative; first two verses are followed by initials



Text Being Read:

Author:

Anon

Title:

Lines addressed to a Lady who had suffered much and long affliction

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

10049

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Magdalene Sharpe- Erskine

Title:

Recueil

Location:

Dunimarle Library at Duff House

Call No:

DH LIB 2024

Page/Folio:

Item 16

Additional Information:

n/a

Citation:

Magdalene Sharpe- Erskine, Recueil, Dunimarle Library at Duff House, DH LIB 2024, Item 16, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=10049, accessed: 29 March 2024


Additional Comments:

Identity of author is tentative.
A commonplace book containing 69 items, mainly in one hand. On the basis of writing style, nature of contents, dates of entries (1827-1871) and of the material selected (mainly poets from the late 18th to mid-19th century), and the watermark date (1810), the most likely identity of the main hand is Magdalene Sharpe-Erskine, the youngest child of the main generation who collected the Dunimarle Library. Fourteen of the items are exclusively or mainly prose, the rest are poetry. Most are in English. About half the items are given, by the complier, as anonymous and about a third have no title. In each case some 6 have been identified from other sources.

   
   
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