Record Number: 28141

---

Reading Experience:

Evidence:

[Elizabeth Carter to Catherine Talbot, 3 May 1756:] 'I had read an extract from that book which you say is writ by Mr Greville, and concluded it must be a translation from some French author, and I can scarcely forbear wishing my notion had been right. I believe there might be some good things in it, but, Genius of Britain, forbid that any such frippery kind of writing should grow into fashion amongst us!'

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1756 and 13 Apr 1756

Country:

n/a

Time

n/a

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

---

Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Elizabeth Carter

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

16 Dec 1717

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

n/a

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

---

Text Being Read:

Author:

Fulke Greville

Title:

Reflections, maxims, and characters, moral, critical, and satirical [extract]

Genre:

Essays / Criticism

Form of Text:

Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

---

Source Information:

Record ID:

28141

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

Montagu Pennington

Title:

A Series of Letters between Mrs Elizabeth Carter and Miss Catherine Talbot, from the year 1741 to 1770. To which are added, Letters from Mrs Elizabeth Carter to Mrs Vesey, between the years 1763 and 1787

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1809

Vol:

2

Page:

230

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Montagu Pennington (ed.), A Series of Letters between Mrs Elizabeth Carter and Miss Catherine Talbot, from the year 1741 to 1770. To which are added, Letters from Mrs Elizabeth Carter to Mrs Vesey, between the years 1763 and 1787, (London, 1809), 2, p. 230, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=28141, accessed: 10 May 2025

---

Additional Comments:

See p.227 in source for Talbot's mention of this text in letter to Carter of 13 April 1756.