Record Number: 32327

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'I am glad to hear you have read Esmond: it is one of my favourite novels, and I hardly know which to praise most, the wonderful, musical Queen Anne English, or the delicate beauty of the story. True, I did rather resent the history, and still maintain, that when a man sets out to write a novel he has no right to ram a European War down your throat.'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 19 Sep 1914 and 2 Feb 1915

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

Great Bookham
Surrey
'Gastons'

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:

Clive Staples Lewis

Age:

Child (0-17)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

29 Nov 1898

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Student

Religion:

Church of England

Country of Origin:

Northern Ireland

Country of Experience:

England

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

William Makepeace Thackeray

Title:

The History of Henry Esmond

Genre:

Fiction, History, Autobiog / Diary, Politics

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

32327

Source:

Print

Author:

C. S. Lewis

Editor:

Walter Hooper

Title:

C. S. Lewis Collected Letters

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

2000

Vol:

1

Page:

104-5

Additional Comments:

From a letter to Arthur Greeves, 2 February 1915

Citation:

C. S. Lewis, Walter Hooper (ed.), C. S. Lewis Collected Letters, (London, 2000), 1, p. 104-5, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=32327, accessed: 25 April 2024

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Additional Comments:

Lewis replies to his friend's reading experience with an account of his own. I am assuming that he read this book while staying at 'Gastons'.