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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 22302


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Next morning at breakfast, [10th June 1784] he pointed out a passage in Savage's "Wanderer", saying, "These are fine verses". "If (said he) I had written with hostility of Warburton in my "Shakspeare", I should have quoted this couplet:-- 'Here Learning, blinded first and then beguil'd, Looks dark as Ignorance, as Fancy wild'. You see they'd have fitted him to a T" (smiling.)'

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

Until: 10 Jun 1784

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:

Samuel Johnson

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

18 Sep 1709

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

writer

Religion:

Anglican

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

n/a

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

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Richard Savage

Title:

Wanderer, The

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

22302

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:

1288

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson, (Oxford, 1980), p. 1288, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=22302, accessed: 24 April 2024


Additional Comments:

Originally published 1791. It may be that Johnson was reading this on 10th June, at the home of Dr Adams in Oxford,or had read it previously

   
   
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