Record Number: 30908

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Fine all day, sunny but cold. Mr Henriez, vice consul at Aleppo and at Mosul is on board, going to take up his post at Alexandria. Reading "Jean Christophe" — most excellent. '

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

6 Jan 1911

Country:

at sea (Western Mediterranean)

Time

daytime

Place:

other location: on board ship between Marseilles and Port Said (name of vessel not decipherable by transcriber

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:

Linguist, traveller, archaeologist, information gatherer for British governement and Middle East political advisor

Religion:

originally Christian (Anglican) by now declared atheist

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

at sea (Western Mediterranean)

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Romain Rolland

Title:

Jean-Christophe

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

Paris: Ollendorf, 1904-1912. Being read in French (first English translation only in 1911)

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

30908

Source - Manuscript:

Other

Information:

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

Additional Information:

Diary entry 6 January 1911 http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/diary_details.php?diary_id=844

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=30908, accessed: 04 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

It is not known which volume was being read at the time. The first 4 volumes: "L'Aube" (1904), "Le Matin" (1904), "L'Adolescent" (1904) and "La Révolte" (1905) are are often referred to simply as "Jean-Christophe" while the next 3 (1908) are known as "Jean-Christophe à Paris". By the end of 1910 8 out of 10 volumes had appeared. It is likely from the reader's response that this was a serial reading experience.