Record Number: 21614

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'I related a dispute between Goldsmith and Mr. Robert Dodsley, one day when they and I were dining at Tom Davies's, in 1762. Goldsmith asserted, that there was no poetry produced in this age. Dodsley appealed to his own Collection, and maintained, that though you could not find a palace like Dryden's "Ode on St. Cecilia's Day", you had villages composed of very pretty houses; and he mentioned particularly "The Spleen".'

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

Until: 31 Dec 1762

Country:

n/a

Time

n/a

Place:

n/a

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

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Robert Dodsley

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

1703

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

writer and bookseller

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

n/a

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

John Dryden

Title:

'Ode on St Cecilia's Day'

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

21614

Source:

Print

Author:

James Boswell

Editor:

R.W. Chapman

Title:

Life of Johnson

Place of Publication:

Oxford

Date of Publication:

1980

Vol:

n/a

Page:

743

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson, (Oxford, 1980), p. 743, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=21614, accessed: 09 May 2025

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Additional Comments:

Original date of publication 1791. Dodsley's 'Collection' was a book edited by him, 'A collection of Poems by Several Hands'.