Record Number: 19405

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'I am to act Orsino (the Duke) in "Twelfth Night" at the Jenkins’. I could not resist that; it is such a delightful part; and I got them to put off my rehearsals to the last moment, so that I may get a fortnight with you in London and a fortnight with Bob in France: for that must be done this time, [italics]couteque coute [end italics]. I am not altogether satisfied that I shall do Orsino [italics]comme il faut[end italics]; but the Jenkins are pleased, and that is the great affair.'

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

Until: 6 Feb 1875

Country:

Probably Scotland

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Probably Edinburgh.
county: Lothian

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Robert Louis Stevenson

Age:

Unknown

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

13 Nov 1850

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Aspiring writer and intermittent law student

Religion:

Uncommitted

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

Probably Scotland

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

Possibly schoolfellows.

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

William Shakespeare

Title:

Twelfth Night, Or What You Will.

Genre:

Drama, Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

First printed in the Folio of 1623.

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

19405

Source:

Print

Author:

Robert Louis Stevenson

Editor:

Bradford A. Booth

Title:

The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, April 1874-July 1879

Place of Publication:

New Haven and London

Date of Publication:

1994

Vol:

2

Page:

115

Additional Comments:

Section headed Saturday [6 February] in Letter 362, To Frances Sitwell, Friday [5 February 1875] [17 Heriot Row]. Co-editor Ernest Mehew. Dates in square brackets have been added by the editors.

Citation:

Robert Louis Stevenson, Bradford A. Booth (ed.), The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, April 1874-July 1879, (New Haven and London, 1994), 2, p. 115, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=19405, accessed: 19 April 2024

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Additional Comments:

Before undertaking to rehearse and act the part of Orsino for the Jenkins, RLS could have read the text of the play in one or more modern editions, at school and/or on his own. Henry Charles Leeming Jenkin had been RLS’s Professor of Engineering and he and his family and circle were now friends of the young man.