Record Number: 17940

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'I am now off to bed after reading a chapter of S. Thomas ? Kempis. I think half-an-hour's warping of the inner man daily is greatly conducive to holiness.'

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

26 Jul 1876

Country:

England

Time

morning

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:

Oscar Wilde

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

16 Oct 1854

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Student

Religion:

unknown

Country of Origin:

Ireland

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:

Thomas ? Kempis

Title:

The Imitation of Christ

Genre:

Other religious, Philosophy, Theology

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

17940

Source:

Print

Author:

Oscar Wilde

Editor:

Merlin Holland

Title:

The Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde

Place of Publication:

New York

Date of Publication:

2000

Vol:

n/a

Page:

26

Additional Comments:

Source is a letter from Wilde to William Ward, collected in Merlin Holland and Rupert Hart Davies, ed. The Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde (New York: Henry Holt and Son, 2000)

Citation:

Oscar Wilde, Merlin Holland (ed.), The Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde, (New York, 2000), p. 26, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=17940, accessed: 14 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

We only have Wilde's word for it that he read a chapter of Thomas ? Kempis for half-an-hour each night before bed. Even so, I have (wisely or otherwise) taken him at his word.