Switch to English Switch to French

The Open University  |   Study at the OU  |   About the OU  |   Research at the OU  |   Search the OU

Listen to this page  |   Accessibility

the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 3357


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'The girls at the hat and cap factory where [Mary Bertenshaw] worked would huddle round at dinner to read Aristotle's Masterpiece over general giggles: "It contained explicit pictures of the developent of a foetus; in turn we read out passages. This went on until our boss Abe interrupted us. We felt so ashamed and from then on kept even further away from the VD clinic and became very dubious about the male sex'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

unknown

Country:

England

Time

daytime

Place:

city: Manchester
other location: at place of work

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Mary Bertenshaw

Age:

Unknown

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

1904

Socio-Economic Group:

Labourer (non-agricultural)

Occupation:

factory worker

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

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

workmates


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

[anon]

Title:

Aristotle's Masterpiece

Genre:

Medicine, Reference / General works, sex manual

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

3357

Source:

Print

Author:

Jonathan Rose

Editor:

n/a

Title:

The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes

Place of Publication:

New Haven

Date of Publication:

2001

Vol:

n/a

Page:

207

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Jonathan Rose, The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes, (New Haven, 2001), p. 207, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=3357, accessed: 29 March 2024


Additional Comments:

See Mary Bertenshaw, 'Sunrise to Sunset', (Manchester, 1980) p.99

   
   
Green Turtle Web Design