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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 22715


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'One late evening in the dim firelight of our rooms at Oxford after the War, she turned from reading aloud to me Swinburne's "Super Flumina Babylonis" - a favourite poem associated in her mind with war-time loss and all premature death - and opened the notebook which contained her copies of Bill's verses.'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 1918 and 1922

Country:

England

Time

evening: 'late evening'

Place:

city: Oxford
county: Oxfordshire
specific address: Somerville College
location in dwelling: 'our rooms'

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:

Winifred Holtby

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

1898

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

writer

Religion:

unknown

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

Vera Brittain


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Algernon Charles Swinburne

Title:

Super Flumina Babylonis

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

22715

Source:

Print

Author:

Vera Brittain

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Testament of Friendship

Place of Publication:

Great Britain

Date of Publication:

1980

Vol:

n/a

Page:

54-55

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Vera Brittain, Testament of Friendship, (Great Britain, 1980), p. 54-55, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=22715, accessed: 26 April 2024


Additional Comments:

Bill was a young soldier who Winifred fell in love with in 1914 when she was sixteen.

   
   
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