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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 21397


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Those famous sonnets, brought into prominence by the poet's death on the eve of the Dardanelles campaign, were then only just beginning to take the world's breath away, and I asked our tutor if she would read us one or two.'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1915 and 31 Dec 1915

Country:

England

Time

evening: 'One chilly May evening'

Place:

city: Oxford
county: Oxfordshire
specific address: Micklem Hall, Brewer Street
location in dwelling: Vera Brittain's tutor's room

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Listener:

Vera Brittain

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

29 Dec 1893

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

writer

Religion:

unknown

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

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

Vera Brittain and her college friend Marjorie were listening to their tutor.


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Rupert Brooke

Title:

1914

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

published 1915

Provenance

read in situ
owned by Vera Brittain's tutor


Source Information:

Record ID:

21397

Source:

Print

Author:

Vera Brittain

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Testament of Youth

Place of Publication:

Great Britian

Date of Publication:

1978

Vol:

n/a

Page:

155

Additional Comments:

Vera Brittain refers to the newly published first edition of Rupert Brooke's collection of sonnets, '1914'.

Citation:

Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth, (Great Britian, 1978), p. 155, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=21397, accessed: 29 March 2024


Additional Comments:

Vera says in the next paragraph that "I found the experience so moving that I should not have sought it had I realised how hard composure would be to maintain."

   
   
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