Record Number: 21940
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'On Saturday, April 25, I dined with him at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, with the learned Dr. Musgrave, Counsellor Leland of Ireland, son to the historian, Mrs. Cholmondeley, and some more ladies. "The Project", a new poem, was read to the company by Dr. Musgrave. JOHNSON. "Sir, it has no power. Were it not for the well-known names with which it is filled, it would be nothing: the names carry the poet, not the poet the names." MUSGRAVE. "A temporary poem always entertains us". JOHNSON. "So does an account of the criminals hanged yesterday entertain us".'
Century:1700-1799
Date:25 Apr 1778
Country:England
Timedaytime: dinnertime
Place:other location: home of Sir Joshua Reynolds
Type of Experience(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Listener: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Male
Date of Birth:18 Sep 1709
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:writer
Religion:Anglican
Country of Origin:England
Country of Experience:England
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
Boswell, Counsellor Leland, Reynolds, Mrs cholmondeley, other ladies
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:Project, The
Genre:Poetry
Form of Text:Print: Unknown
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:21940
Source:James Boswell
Editor:R.W. Chapman
Title:Life of Johnson
Place of Publication:Oxford
Date of Publication:1980
Vol:n/a
Page:967
Additional Comments:
n/a
Citation:
James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson, (Oxford, 1980), p. 967, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=21940, accessed: 23 May 2025
Additional Comments:
Originally published 1791. Read by Dr Musgrave.
