Record Number: 27992

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

[in prefatory essay by A. L. Barbauld] Quoted from 'a lady's' account of stays in Samuel Richardson's family home (c.1750s): 'We [...] spent the evening in Mrs Richardson's parlour, where the practice was for one of the young ladies to read, while the rest sat with mute attention, round a large table, and employed themselves in some kind of needle-work. Mr Richardson generally retired to his study, unless there was particular company.'

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1750 and 31 Dec 1759

Country:

n/a

Time

evening

Place:

location in dwelling: Parlour

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:

Reading Group:

Mrs [Samuel] Richardson and daughters

Age:

Unknown

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

n/a

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

Female houseguest

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Title:

n/a

Genre:

Unknown

Form of Text:

Print: Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

27992

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

Anna Laetitia Barbauld

Title:

The Correspondence of Samuel Richardson [...] Selected from the Original Manuscripts Bequeathed by him to his Family

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1804

Vol:

1

Page:

clxxxvii

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Anna Laetitia Barbauld (ed.), The Correspondence of Samuel Richardson [...] Selected from the Original Manuscripts Bequeathed by him to his Family, (London, 1804), 1, p. clxxxvii, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=27992, accessed: 28 April 2025

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Additional Comments:

None