Record Number: 26673
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
From the Commonplace book of Mrs Austen of Ensbury: Transcription of '“A Search after Happiness H. More” beginning “Expect not perfect happiness below…’
Century:1800-1849, 1850-1899
Date:Between 1 Jan 1814 and 18 Apr 1884
Country:England
Timen/a
Place:city
specific address
(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:Female
Date of Birth:1794
Socio-Economic Group:Clergy (includes all denominations)
Occupation:clergyman's wife
Religion:Anglican
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:A Search after Happiness
Genre:Poetry
Form of Text:Unknown
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:26673
Source:Manuscript
Author:Mrs [Catherine] Austen
Title:Commonplace book
Location:Private collection
Call No:n/a
Page/Folio:115
Additional Information:
n/a
Citation:
Mrs [Catherine] Austen, Commonplace book, Private collection, n/a, 115, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=26673, accessed: 14 December 2024
Additional Comments:
Mrs Austen's exact birthdate is not known. From her gravestone: 'Died April 18th 1884 in her 90th year'. This suggests she was born in 1794. The commonplace book contains references to events in 1816 and 1835, and several poems that refer to the Battle of Waterloo (1815). Since the hand is that of an adult, and the references to Waterloo appear early in the volume, but not at the very start, we have dated the reading experiences between 1814 and 1884, although this dating is tentative and it is likely that the reading experiences happened within a much narrower timeframe. For further information and permission to quote this source, contact the Reading Experience Database (http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/contacts.php).