Record Number: 32435

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

(1) 'I also bought a French Book on the Poetry of the middle ages — so you see dear Oxford is a dangerous place for a book lover.' (2) 'I am now reading in French this book on French literature of the Middle Ages which at least to me is very interesting.' (3) 'I have finished my book on French Literature (admirable, excellent, exquisite)...'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 2 Feb 1917 and 20 Feb 1917

Country:

England

Time

n/a10.00-11.00 pm, except Wednesdays

Place:

Great Bookham
Surrey
'Gastons'
Bedroom

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:

Adult (18-100+)

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:

Gaston Paris

Title:

La Litterature francaise au moyen age (XI-XIV siecle)

Genre:

Essays / Criticism, Poetry, Textbook / self-education, Studies in mediaeval French literature

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

In the original French; first published by Librairie Hachette, Paris (1888)

Provenance

owned

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Source Information:

Record ID:

32435

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:

269, 274, 282

Additional Comments:

(1) From a letter to Arthur Greeves, 28 January 1917 (2) From a letter to the same, 7 February 1917 (3) From a letter to the same, 20 February 1917

Citation:

C. S. Lewis, Walter Hooper (ed.), C. S. Lewis Collected Letters, (London, 2000), 1, p. 269, 274, 282, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=32435, accessed: 03 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

In his letter of the 7th February, Lewis says that he reads French 'from 10-11 every night except Wednesday'. He does not mention which book he had bought; the title described above seems the most likely, and is the one cited by Hooper in a footnote. There were various editions, each with additions and corrections; the 5th edition was published by Hachette in 1914. Another possiblility is: 'La Poesie du Moyen-Age: lecons et lectures' published in two volumes (1885) and (1895), also by Hachette. Gaston Paris (1839-1903) was regarded as the highest authority in France on the philology of the Romance languages, and noted for the clarity of his writings. He was nominated three times for the Nobel Prize in literature.