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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 16920


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'I am anxious to thank S.G. [Signor Giovanni = John Gisborne] for the pleasure I have received from his tale of Italy a tale all Italy - breathing of the land I love - the descriptions are beautiful - & he has shed a great charm round the concentrated & undemonstrative person of his gentle heroine. I suppose she is the reality of the story. - Did you know her? - It is difficult however to judge how to procure for it the publication it deserves [Mary details the problems] But there arises a stronger objection from the length of the story - As the merit lies in the beauty of the details, I do not see how it could [be] but cut down to [underlined] one quarter [underlining ends] of its present length, which is as long as any tale printed in an Annual' [Letter to Maria Gisborne]

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Until: 11 Jun 1835

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Harrow

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


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Mary Shelley

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

30 Aug 1797

Socio-Economic Group:

Gentry

Occupation:

writer

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



Text Being Read:

Author:

John Gisborne

Title:

[a tale of Italy]

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Manuscript: Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

borrowed (other)
sent to Mary by the Gisbornes


Source Information:

Record ID:

16920

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

Betty T. Bennett

Title:

The Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Place of Publication:

Baltimore / London

Date of Publication:

1983

Vol:

II

Page:

245

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Betty T. Bennett (ed.), The Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, (Baltimore / London, 1983), II, p. 245, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=16920, accessed: 17 May 2024


Additional Comments:

None

   
   
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