Record Number: 28603

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Mary Taylor to her friend and former schoolfellow Charlotte Bronte, in letter postmarked 24 July 1848:

'About a month since I received and read "Jane Eyre." It seemed to me incredible that you had actually written a book [...] Your novel surprised me by being so perfect as a work of art. I expected something more changeable and unfinished. You have polished to some purpose [...]
You are very different from me in having no moral to preach. It is impossible to squeeze a moral out of your production. Has the world gone so well with you that you have no protest to make against its absurdities? [...] I do not believe in Mr Rivers [...] A missionary either goes into his office for a piece of bread, or he goes from enthusiasm, and that is both too good and too bad a quality for St John. It's a bit of your absurd charity to believe in such a man [...] You never stop to explain or defend anything [...] how have you written through three volumes without declaring war to the knife against a few dozen absurd doctrines, each of which is supported by "a large and respectable class of readers"?'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Between 1 Oct 1847 and 24 Jul 1848

Country:

New Zealand

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Wellington

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:

Mary Taylor

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

26 Feb 1817

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Author and shop-keeper

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

New Zealand

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Charlotte Brontë

Title:

Jane Eyre

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

In three volumes, 1847

Provenance

owned

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Source Information:

Record ID:

28603

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

Thomas James Wise and John Alexander Symington

Title:

The Brontes: Their Lives, Friendships, and Correspondence

Place of Publication:

Oxford

Date of Publication:

1980

Vol:

1:2

Page:

235-236

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Thomas James Wise and John Alexander Symington (ed.), The Brontes: Their Lives, Friendships, and Correspondence, (Oxford, 1980), 1:2, p. 235-236, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=28603, accessed: 27 April 2024

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Additional Comments:

None