Record Number: 23840

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'The late Mrs Laidlaw of Willenslee took some notice of me, and frequently gave me books to read while tending the ewes; these were chiefly theological. The only one, that I remember any thing of, is "Bishop Burnet's Theory of the Conflagration of the Earth". Happy it was for me that I did not understand it! for the little of it that I did understand had nearly overturned my brain altogether. All the day I was pondering on the grand millennium, and the reign of the saints; and all the night dreaming of new heavens and a new earth - the stars in horror, and the world in flames! Mrs Laidlaw also gave me sometimes the newspapers, which I pored on with great earnestness - beginning at the date, and reading straight on, through advertisements of houses and lands, balm of Gilead, and every thing; and, after all, was often no wiser than when I began'.

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

From: 25 Jan 1788

Country:

Scotland

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Willemslee Farm
other location: in the fields with sheep

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:

James Hogg

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

25 Jan 1772

Socio-Economic Group:

Labourer (agricultural)

Occupation:

shepherd, later poet

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

Scotland

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Thomas Burnet

Title:

Sacred Theory of the Earth

Genre:

Other religious, Science

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

borrowed (other)
lent by Mrs Laidlaw

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Source Information:

Record ID:

23840

Source:

Print

Author:

James Hogg

Editor:

Gillian Hughes

Title:

Altrive Tales

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh

Date of Publication:

2003

Vol:

Collected Works 13

Page:

16

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

James Hogg, Gillian Hughes (ed.), Altrive Tales, (Edinburgh, 2003), Collected Works 13, p. 16, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=23840, accessed: 18 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

None