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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 1714


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Writing to D[orothy] W[ordsworth] on 19 Aug. 1814, W[ordsworth] describes an incident in a Perth bookshop: "I stepped yesterday evening into a Bookseller's shop with a sneaking hope that I might hear something about the Excursion ... on the contrary, inquiry of the Bookseller what a poetical parcel he was then opening consisted of, he said that it was a new Poem, called Lara ... supposed to be written by Lord Byron ... I took the book in my hand, and saw Jacqueline in the same column with Lara ... "'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

18 Aug 1814

Country:

Scotland

Time

evening

Place:

city: Perth
other location: bookshop

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:

William Wordsworth

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

7 Apr 1770

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer

Religion:

Church of England

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

Scotland

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

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

George Gordon, Lord Byron

Title:

Lara

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

1814

Provenance

read in situ


Source Information:

Record ID:

1714

Source:

Print

Author:

Duncan Wu

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Wordsworth's Reading 1800-1815

Place of Publication:

Cambridge

Date of Publication:

1995

Vol:

n/a

Page:

41

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Duncan Wu, Wordsworth's Reading 1800-1815, (Cambridge, 1995), p. 41, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=1714, accessed: 28 March 2024


Additional Comments:

From entry 80 (iii) in Wu (1995); quotation from Alan G. Hill, ed., The Letters of William and Dorothy Wordsworth VIII: A Supplement of New Letters (1993) 149.

   
   
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