Record Number: 32385
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'In the mornings in bed I am going over "Sense and Sensibility" again � which I had nearly forgotten. Do you remember Mrs Jennings and Marianne Dashwood and the rest?'
Century:1900-1945
Date:Between 10 Sep 1916 and 21 Sep 1916
Country:Northern Ireland
Timemorning: 'in the mornings in bed'
Place:Belfast
County Down
'Little Lea', 76 Circular Road
Bedroom
(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:Northern Ireland
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:Sense and Sensibility
Genre:Fiction
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:32385
Source:C. S. Lewis
Editor:Walter Hooper
Title:C. S. Lewis Collected Letters
Place of Publication:London
Date of Publication:2000
Vol:1
Page:223
Additional Comments:
From a letter to Arthur Greeves, 18 September 1916. Mrs Jennings and Marianne Dashwood are characters in the novel.
Citation:
C. S. Lewis, Walter Hooper (ed.), C. S. Lewis Collected Letters, (London, 2000), 1, p. 223, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=32385, accessed: 25 February 2026
Additional Comments:
Lewis had first read 'Sense and Sensibility' some two years before the experience described above. He had likewise written to Greeves about the earlier reading: 'I am now engaged in reading "Sense & Sensibility." It is undoubtedly one of her best. Do you remember the Palmer family?' (From a letter to Arthur Greeves, [26 September 1914], v.1.,p.71). The Palmers are characters in the novel. I have marked the provenance as 'unknown' because although Lewis may have owned the book, it may equally well have belonged to his father, or been borrowed from the public library.
