Record Number: 32344
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'In Greek we have begun Demosthenes. Of course oratory is not a sort of literature that I appreciate or understand in any language, so that I am hardly qualified to express an opinion on our friend with the mouthful of pebbles. However, compared with Cicero, he strikes me as a man with something to say, intent only upon saying it clearly and shortly. One misses the beautiful roll of the Ciceronian period, but on the other hand, he is not such a - blether.'
Century:1900-1945
Date:Between 10 Jul 1915 and 14 Mar 1917
Country:England
Timen/a
Place:Great Bookham
Surrey
'Gastons'
(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: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
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:[unknown]
Genre:Classics, Politics, Law, Judicial orations, political orations
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication Detailsin the original Greek, probably with scholarly apparatus
Provenanceowned
Source Information:
Record ID:32344
Source:C. S. Lewis
Editor:Walter Hooper
Title:C. S. Lewis Collected Letters
Place of Publication:London
Date of Publication:2000
Vol:1
Page:137
Additional Comments:
From a letter to his father, 19? July 1915. I have expanded the date range from the date of this letter to the end of Lewis's time with Mr Kirkpatrick, because I think this study continued throughout.
Citation:
C. S. Lewis, Walter Hooper (ed.), C. S. Lewis Collected Letters, (London, 2000), 1, p. 137, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=32344, accessed: 18 May 2024
Additional Comments:
Almost certainly owned by Lewis. His tutor gave him a list of books to order which included Demosthenes' 'De Corona.' (Letters, v.1.,p.141). Lewis read Demosthenes and Cicero out of duty. Throughout his prolific correspondence he refers to them only in passing and in 'Surprised by Joy', Ch.9, he writes about 'the two great bores' who 'could not be avoided.'