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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 21460


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Sometimes when I think ... of the Dream-city, with its grey towers and autumn sunsets, and the little room where surrounded by books I used to read "Tess of the D'Urbervilles before a glowing fire at twelve o'clock at night, I can only cry inwardly: "I [italics] hate [end italics] nursing! How tired I am of this War - will it never end!"'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 29 Dec 1893 and 27 Jun 1915

Country:

England

Time

n/anight: 'twelve o'clock at night'

Place:

city: Oxford
county: Oxfordshire
specific address: Somerville College
location in dwelling: Vera Brittain's room

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:

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

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Thomas Hardy

Title:

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book, Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

21460

Source:

Print

Author:

Vera Brittain

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Testament of Youth

Place of Publication:

Great Britain

Date of Publication:

1978

Vol:

n/a

Page:

202

Additional Comments:

Quotation taken from a letter written by Vera Brittain to Roland Leighton in October 1915.

Citation:

Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth, (Great Britain, 1978), p. 202, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=21460, accessed: 27 April 2024


Additional Comments:

Earlier in the chapter Vera Brittain says that she had left Oxford and started nursing on 27 June 1915. This helps to establish the date range of this reading experience.

   
   
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