Record Number: 30776
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'Home to tea. Read some of Fratesi's [sic] "In Provincia" which I think is very good. Awfully cold.'
Century:1850-1899
Date:19 Feb 1894
Country:Italy
Timeevening
Place:city: Florence
county: Tuscany
specific address: unspecified lodgings
(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: 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
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:In provincia: novelle e bozzetti
Genre:Fiction
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication DetailsFirenze: Barbèra, 1883. 2nd edn. 1884. No record of translation into English.
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:30776
Source - Manuscript:Other
Information:
Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library University http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk
Additional Information:
Diary entry 19 February 1894. http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/diary_details.php?diary_id=1534
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=30776, accessed: 19 May 2024
Additional Comments:
Mario Pratesi (1842–1921) wrote at least five realist novels based in Tuscany, in the 'verisimo regionale' style, in which he addressed contemporary social problems and urban middle class corruption.
Although Gertrude Bell's biographer suggests she only took Italian lessons in 1896, on a later visit, (Howell 2006, p. 423) 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. This reading experience is further evidence of some competency in written Italian.