Record Number: 28009

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Aaron Hill to Samuel Richardson, 17 December 1740: 'You have agreeably deceived me into a surprise, which it will be as hard to express, as the beauties of Pamela. Though I opened this powerful little pie with more expectation than from common designs of like promise, because it came from your hands for my daughters, yet who could have dreamed he should find, under the modest disguise of a novel, all the soul of religion, good breeding, discretion, good-nature, wit, fancy, fine thought and morality? I have done nothing but read it to others, and have others again read it to me, ever since it came into my hands [...] if I lay the book down, it comes after me. When it has dwelt all day long upon the ear, it takes possession, all night, of the fancy [goes on to request that Richardson let him know the name of the author, saying 'since I feel him the friend of my soul, it would be a kind of violation to pretend him a stranger']'

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

Between 17 Sep 140 and 17 Dec 1740

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:

Listener:

Aaron Hill

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

n/a

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:

Samuel Richardson

Title:

Pamela

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

28009

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:

53-55

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. 53-55, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=28009, accessed: 19 April 2024

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Additional Comments:

None