Record Number: 30774

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'In the morning to Santa Maria where we looked at the Spanish Chapel with Ruskin.[...] In the afternoon poked about in the back streets behind the Duomo which are all full of palaces and where the little square with the old tower Dante's church and doorway is wonderfully thrilling. Tea at the Cascine. Read Dante when we came in.'

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

31 Jan 1894

Country:

Italy

Time

evening

Place:

city: Florence
county: Tuscany
unspecified hotel

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:

Gertrude Bell

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

16 Jul 1868

Socio-Economic Group:

Gentry

Occupation:

Oxford graduate, language student, yet to take up formal occupation as archaeologist and political advisor

Religion:

Christian (Anglican) later declared herself atheist

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

Italy

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Dante Alighieri

Title:

?La Divina Commedia

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

probably in Italian, see additional comments

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

30774

Source - Manuscript:

Other

Information:

Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library University http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk

Additional Information:

Diary entry 31 January 1894. http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/diary_details.php?diary_id=1513

Citation:

Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library University http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=30774, accessed: 18 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

Although Gertrude Bell's biographer suggests she only took Italian lessons in 1896, on a later visit, (Howell 2006, p.423) later diary entries from 1894 visit e.g. on 2 February http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/diary_details.php?diary_id=1518 suggests that she was already taking Italian lessons and reading Dante in the original.