Record Number: 932

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'At age thirteen John Clare was shown The Seasons by a Methodist weaver and though he had no real experience of poetry, he was immediately enthralled by Thomson's evocation of spring'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

1806

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

n/a

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:

John Clare

Age:

Child (0-17)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

13 07 1793

Socio-Economic Group:

Clerk / tradesman / artisan / smallholder

Occupation:

later a poet

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

England

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:

James Thomson

Title:

The Seasons

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

borrowed (other)

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Source Information:

Record ID:

932

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:

30

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Jonathan Rose, The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes, (New Haven, 2001), p. 30, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=932, accessed: 13 September 2024

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Additional Comments:

Shown book by a Methodist weaver who 'laughed' at his enthrallment. See Eric Robinson (ed) 'John Clare's Autobiographical Writings' (Oxford, 1983) p.9