Record Number: 32395

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

(1) 'I am now, through the week, reading Scott's "Antiquary". I suppose you have read it long ago: I am very pleased with it, especially the character of the Antiquary himself, the description of his room, and the old beggar.' (2) 'I finished "The Antiquary" this afternoon, and it thoroughly denies our old wheeze about most books getting tireseome halfway through. It gets better and better as it goes on, and I have not enjoyed anything so much for a long time. I believe I shall soon become almost as devoted to Scott as you are: I begin to feel that sort of "repose", which you like, in turning to him. Which of his should I try next?' (3) 'Of course the hero - as usual in Scott - is a mere puppet, but there are so many other good characters that it doesn't much matter.'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 4 Oct 1916 and 18 Oct 1916

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:

Walter Scott

Title:

The Antiquary

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

The most likely edition is London: Dent, 1907 (Everyman's Library no. 126)

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

32395

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:

232, 235-6, 249

Additional Comments:

(1) From a letter to Arthur Greeves, (possibly 12 Oct 1916) (2) From a letter to the same, 18 October 1916 (3) From a letter to the same, 18 November 1916

Citation:

C. S. Lewis, Walter Hooper (ed.), C. S. Lewis Collected Letters, (London, 2000), 1, p. 232, 235-6, 249, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=32395, accessed: 29 April 2024

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Additional Comments:

This was one of Lewis's 'serious' (that is, recreational) reading experiences. He usually relaxed in this way only at weekends; this experience is unusual in being enjoyed 'through the week'. I think Greeves recommended that he should 'try next' 'The Fair Maid of Perth': 'Unfortunately we have not got a complete set of Scott here - only odd Everyman copies of which "The Fair Maid of Perth" is not one.' (Letter to Greeves, 25 October 1916, v.1, p. 240) Lewis did read it, but whether soon after this or many years later is not known; the only other reference to it in his correspondence is in a letter to Dom Bede Griffiths, 21 December 1941: 'I re-read "The Fair Maid of Perth" when I went to Perthshire, and enjoyed it, tho' it's by no means one of the best.' (Letters, v.2, p.505) I have marked the provenance 'unknown', but the remark about 'odd Everyman copies' makes it seem likely that his copy of 'The Antiquary' was one of these, and belonged to the Kirkpatrick household.