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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 21728


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Talking of Rochester's Poems, he said, he had given them to Mr. Steevens to castrate for the edition of the poets, to which he was to write Prefaces. Dr. Taylor (the only time I ever heard him say any thing witty) observed, that "if Rochester had been castrated himself, his exceptionable poems would not have been written". I asked if Burnet had not given a good Life of Rochester. JOHNSON. "We have a good [italics] Death [end italics]: there is not much [italics] Life[end italics]".'

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

Until: 22 Sep 1777

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


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

James Boswell

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

29 Oct 1740

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

writer and lawyer

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

n/a

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

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Gilbert Burnet

Title:

Some passages of the life and death of the Right Honourable John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester

Genre:

Biography

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

21728

Source:

Print

Author:

James Boswell

Editor:

R.W. Chapman

Title:

Life of Boswell

Place of Publication:

Oxford

Date of Publication:

1980

Vol:

n/a

Page:

869

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Boswell, (Oxford, 1980), p. 869, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=21728, accessed: 29 March 2024


Additional Comments:

Originally published 1791

   
   
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