Record Number: 21048
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'Mrs. Montague, a lady distinguished for having written an Essay on Shakspeare [sic], being mentioned:—Reynolds. "I think that essay does her honour." Johnson. "Yes, Sir; it does her honour, but it would do nobody else honour. I have, indeed, not read it all. But when I take up the end of a web, and find it packthread. I do not expect, by looking further, to find embroidery. Sir, I will venture to say, there is not one sentence of true criticism in her book." Garrick. "But, Sir, surely it shews how much Voltaire has mistaken Shakspeare, which nobody else has done." Johnson. "Sir, nobody else has thought it worth while. And what merit is there in that ? You may as well praise a schoolmaster for whipping a boy who has construed ill".'
Century:1700-1799
Date:Between 1 Jan 1769 and 16 Oct 1769
Country:England
Timen/a
Place:n/a
Type of Experience(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Male
Date of Birth:19 Feb 1717
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:actor and theatre manager
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: Title:Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear
Genre:Essays / Criticism
Form of Text:Print: Unknown
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:21048
Source:James Boswell
Editor:R.W. Chapman
Title:Life of Johnson
Place of Publication:Oxford
Date of Publication:1980
Vol:n/a
Page:413-14
Additional Comments:
n/a
Citation:
James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson, (Oxford, 1980), p. 413-14, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=21048, accessed: 15 October 2024
Additional Comments:
Originally published 1791.
