Record Number: 136

---

Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Hester Thrale compared herself to Swift's Vanessa who "held Montaigne and read- / while Mrs Susan comb'd her Head", and read the "Spectator" to her daughters while her "Maid... was dressing [her] Hair".'

Century:

1700-1799, 1800-1849

Date:

Between 1776 and 1809

Country:

unknown

Time

n/a

Place:

other location: presumably at home, whilst having hair done

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:

Hester Thrale

Age:

Unknown

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

16 Jan 1741

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

none

Religion:

Christian

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

unknown

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

her daughters

Additional Comments:

n/a

---

Text Being Read:

Author:

Joseph Addison

Title:

The Spectator

Genre:

Essays / Criticism

Form of Text:

Print: Serial / periodical, Could have been periodical in bound form

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

---

Source Information:

Record ID:

136

Source:

Print

Author:

Jacqueline Pearson

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Women's Reading in Britain 1750-1835. A Dangerous Recreation.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge

Date of Publication:

1999

Vol:

n/a

Page:

168

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Jacqueline Pearson, Women's Reading in Britain 1750-1835. A Dangerous Recreation., (Cambridge, 1999), p. 168, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=136, accessed: 12 September 2024

---

Additional Comments:

See Katherine C. Balderston (ed.)"Thraliana: The Diary of Mrs Hester Lynch Thrale (later Mrs Piozzi) 1776-1809" (Oxford, 1942) p.547