Record Number: 30827

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'I had a most successful afternoon with Mrs [Humphrey] Ward yesterday. Their villa is a vision of beauty, looking over the Alban Lake on one side and the Campagna on the other. It's a Barberini Villa with an exquisite big garden in which are the ruins of a Villa of Domitian's. There are long ilex avenues and the grass was full of violets and cyclamen and anemones. The rooms of course very bare, but they have carpeted them and put in stoves and they are most fascinating. Mrs Ward was extremely kind. I arrived about 4 and stayed till 8 — it's only an hour from Rome [Roma]. She and I walked about on the Terraces till tea, after which she took me into her sitting room and showed me her preface to "Jane Eyre", very good I thought — so did she! "Now this is so true" she said, pointing to a passage in an impersonal way! Never mind, she was a great dear.'

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

2 Apr 1899

Country:

Italy

Time

afternoon
evening

Place:

city: Castelgandolfo, near Rome
county: Lazio
specific address: Villa Barberini
location in dwelling: Sitting room

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:

originally Christian (Anglican) by now declared 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:

Mary Augusta Ward

Title:

Preface to "Jane Eyre"

Genre:

Essays / Criticism

Form of Text:

Unknown

Publication Details

Preface to "Jane Eyre" in Haworth edition of Life and Works of Charlotte Bronte and her Sisters, London: Smith,Elder 1899

Provenance

read in situ

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Source Information:

Record ID:

30827

Source - Manuscript:

Other

Information:

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

Additional Information:

Letter from Gertrude Bell to Florence Bell 2 April 1899 hhttp://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/letter_details.php?letter_id=1047

Citation:

Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=30827, accessed: 03 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

Since the edition appeared in 1899, it is not clear whether Gertrude Bell was shown the MS or the published book.