'Carter and Talbot read fiction and corresponded about it, including "Roderick Random", the novels of Eliza Haywood, French romances, and Charlotte Lennox's "Henrietta", in which Talbot funds a number of objectionable qualities including "irreligion" and "the pride and sauciness" of the heroine. Their "favourite" among women novelists was Sarah Fielding, many of whose works they read and discussed.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Catherine Talbot Print: Book
'After the breakdown of her marriage in 1752, Sarah Scott read voraciously and eclectically, the History of Florence and Lord Bacon's essays, and the Old Plays, Christianity not founded on argument, Randolph's answer to it... and some of David's Simple Life... an account of the Government of Venice, Montaigne's Essays.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Sarah Scott Print: Book
'Carter and Talbot read fiction and corresponded about it, including "Roderick Random", the novels of Eliza Haywood, French romances, and Charlotte Lennox's "Henrietta", in which Talbot finds a number of objectionable qualities including "irreligion" and "the pride and sauciness" of the heroine. Their "favourite" among women novelists was Sarah Fielding, many of whose works they read and discussed.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Elizabeth Carter Print: Book
'I amuse myself as well as I can with reading. I have just gone through your two vols. of Letters. Have reperused them with great pleasure and found many new beauties in them. What a knowledge of the human heart!'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Samuel Richardson Print: Book
'[Having given some verses 'To Miss Salusbury', thought to be by Sarah Fielding] These verses are nothing extraordinary God knows, but I dare say they are hers; though there seems to be no great attention to Grammar in them considering she was an able Scholar both in the Latin Language and the Greek'.
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Hester Lynch Thrale Manuscript: Unknown
[Miss] J. Collier to Samuel Richardson, 4 October 1748:
'I have been further considering of that part in Mrs Fielding's proof, which relates to Mrs. Teachum's method of punishing her scholars; and give me leave to tell you my reasons for thinking it rather better to remain as she has left it, than to have it altered even as [italics]you[end italics] proposed [goes on to discuss treatment of theme of punishment in text in detail].'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: J[?ane] Collier Print: Unknown, In proof
Catherine Talbot to Elizabeth Carter, from Cuddesdon, 21 July 1753, in account of a day excursion in the local countryside (around Oxford):
'Yesterday we set off soon after four [...] Our road lay through a most pleasant country. In the coach we amused ourselves with some of the seventh volume of Mad. de Sevigne's Letters, and some of Mrs Fielding's. 'Tis vexatious in the last-named book to find such a mixture of refinement a perte de vue proceeding from her inclination to support, I fancy, a false system [...] But where she writes naturally one loves and honours her extremely; there is a goodness of heart and a delicacy of sentiment that makes me think you happy in her acquaintance.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Catherine Talbot and family Print: Book
Elizabeth Carter to Catherine Talbot, 14 September 1754:
'Have you ever read the "Cry?" [...] It never fell in my way till very lately, and I read it with low spirits, but upon the whole it pleased me mightily. There is sometimes rather too strong a spirit of refining in it, which I believe is the case in all Mrs Fielding's compositions, and she often puts me in mind of Tacitus. But is she not in general a most excellent writer?'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Elizabeth Carter Print: Book
Catherine Talbot to Elizabeth Carter, 26 November 1754:
'Yes, I did read the "Cry" last spring, but was too much out of charity with one sign-post painting in it, to name it to you. Ferdinand's way of making love did charm me, but his hard-hearted, dishonest, lying, unnatural absurdity of behaviour at last provoked me absolutely beyond all patience.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Catherine Talbot Print: Book
[Catherine Talbot to Elizabeth Carter, 29 July 1757:]
'My mother's passion is feeding chickens, in this too I share with her, and we study the various characters of the poultry with infinite amusement. Two of our hens are called Cleopatra and Octavia, my mother named them, and with perfect justice, and we divert ourselves with studying how the chickens take after them.
These names put me in mind to ask you how could Mrs Fielding who is so good a woman make Octavia self-sufficient under suffering and trials, and not so much as hint the smallest degree of uninstructed piety as even heathens had [...] I do not love any dialogues of the dead, because it is representing a true and awful state in generally a false light [...] Fine people are too apt to think they may live very happy, and be very remarkably good without any religion, and Octavia will convince them of it, for her story is enchantingly told, and in some parts made [italics] even me [end italics] cry very heartily -- [italics] even me [end italics] as if I was of adamant.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Catherine Talbot Print: Book
'I have
been reading David Simple, "which I like well enough, and
think there are a great many good reflections to be made from it,
and therefore very amusing."
I have read one volume of David Simple; am vastly
pleased with many things in it, and though 'tis not so well wrote
as to the style, yet there are too many truths in it of which one
may make a proper use on [sic], and very applicable to the
present age.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Charles Russell Print: Book
