Record Number: 17183

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Elizabeth Barrett to Richard Hengist Horne, 9 June 1843: 'A gentleman, a poet, a correspondent, at large intervals, of mine [...] wrote to me, praising [John] Sterling extravagantly. [italics]I[end italics], .. who never cd see much in Sterling, .. was sincere & cold about him in reply, .. & begged the praiser to read Festus, which I was reading at the moment. Well! -- Presently I had another letter. My correspondent was astounded at me! Upon my praise, he had procured Festus, & looked at one or two pages, .. when he was driven back in convulsive fits, by the hot blast of Indecency & Blasphemy emitted from the leaves -- he found it impossible to read such a book!'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1839 and 9 Jun 1843

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:

Elizabeth Barrett

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

6 Mar 1806

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer

Religion:

Evangelical

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:

Philip James Bailey

Title:

Festus

Genre:

Poetry, Astrology / alchemy / occult

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

Published anonymously in 1839

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

17183

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

Philip Kelley and Ronald Hudson

Title:

The Brownings' Correspondence

Place of Publication:

Winfield

Date of Publication:

1989

Vol:

7

Page:

176

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Philip Kelley and Ronald Hudson (ed.), The Brownings' Correspondence, (Winfield, 1989), 7, p. 176, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=17183, accessed: 19 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

Text a version of the Faust myth. Source eds conjecture that Barrett's correspondent was Richard Edwin Austin Townsend; see p.176 n.8.