On Wednesday before breakfast, I read the beginning of Antoninus?s 10th. book, & I went on with it today, but not the end. My energies felt dead within me: & how could I do anything without them? Nothing but reading the 3d. vol: of Mrs. Shelley, which I despatched in two hours ? (which did come at last!! - ) No going out today. Marcus Antoninus after Mrs. Shelly [sic], and drinking tea after Marcus.
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Elizabeth Barrett Print: Book
'S. reads Hist. of [French]. Rev. and corrects F. write Preface'
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Percy Bysshe Shelley Manuscript: Unknown, Mary Shelley's MS
'Wednesday Jan 5th ... Then we went a-shopping. I called at Lehnhold's [music publisher's where
Clairmont received all mail] and found a letter from Mary. Got into the carriage and read it [...]
We went to Levy's Magazine. I read my letter whilst the Princess [Galitzin] walked round the
shop. In came a tall man [...] He stared at the Princess and then at my letter -- its black seal
seemed to startle him.'
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Claire Clairmont Manuscript: Letter
'Wednesday Jan 5th ... Then we went a-shopping. I called at Lehnhold's [music publisher's where
Clairmont received all mail] and found a letter from Mary. Got into the carriage and read it [...]
We went to Levy's Magazine. I read my letter whilst the Princess [Galitzin] walked round the
shop. In came a tall man [...] He stared at the Princess and then at my letter -- its black seal
seemed to startle him.'
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Claire Clairmont Manuscript: Letter
'Read to Mrs G.[isborne]'
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Mary Shelley Manuscript: Unknown
'read Matilda to Jane'
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Mary Shelley Print: BookManuscript: Unknown
'Read Matilda to E.'
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Mary Shelley Manuscript: Unknown
'Finish C.A. to Jane'
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Mary Shelley Manuscript: Unknown
'I have received my desk today [shipped from England] & have been reading my letters to mine own Shelley during his absences at Marlow. What a scene to recur to! My William, Clara, Allegra are all talked of - They lived then - They breathed this air & their voices struck on my sense; their feet trod the earth beside me - & their hands were warm with blood and life when clasped in mine'.
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Mary Shelley Manuscript: Letter
'I am really frightened when I think that you are reading my book critically - It seems to me such a wretched piece of work - written much of it in a state of pain that makes me look at its pages now as if written in a dream. The second volume only tells anything new - I fear I shall be very much ashamed of it'
[letter to Leigh Hunt]
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Leigh Hunt Print: Book
Robert Browning to Elizabeth Barrett, letter postmarked 11 September 1845:
'Mrs Shelley found Italy for the first time, real Italy at Sorrento, she says. Oh that book -- does one wake or sleep? [...] Godwin's daughter and Shelley's wife, and who surely was something better once upon a time [...] the intrepidity of the commonplace quite astounds me [goes on to criticise specific passages] [...] once she travelled the country with Shelley on arm; now she plods it, [Samuel] Rogers in hand [...] I quarrel with her, for ever, I think.'
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Robert Browning Print: Book
'I have lately had a long bad cold, such as reduces one to trash and slops, novels and barley water, and amongst the books my friends kindly sent me to while away time was the first volume of one puffed in the newspaper, "The Last Man", by the authoress of "Frankenstein". I would not trouble them for any more of it, but really there were sentences in it so far exceeding those Don Quixote ran mad in trying to comprehend, that I could not help copying out a few of them; they would have turned Feliciano de Silva's own brains. [LS then quotes passages beginning "Her eyes were impenetrably deep" and "The overflowing warmth of her heart"...] Since the wonderful improvement that somebody who shall be nameless, together with Miss Edgeworth and one or two more, have made in novels, I imagined such stuff as this had not ventured to show its head, though I remember plenty of it in the days of my youth. So for old acquaintance-sake I give it welcome. But if the boys and girls begin afresh to take it for sublime and beautiful, it ought to get a rap and be put down'.
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Louisa, Lady Stuart Print: Book