Record Number: 32344

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'In Greek we have begun Demosthenes. Of course oratory is not a sort of literature that I appreciate or understand in any language, so that I am hardly qualified to express an opinion on our friend with the mouthful of pebbles. However, compared with Cicero, he strikes me as a man with something to say, intent only upon saying it clearly and shortly. One misses the beautiful roll of the Ciceronian period, but on the other hand, he is not such a - blether.'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 10 Jul 1915 and 14 Mar 1917

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

Great Bookham
Surrey
'Gastons'

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

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Clive Staples Lewis

Age:

Child (0-17)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

29 Nov 1898

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Student

Religion:

Church of England

Country of Origin:

Northern Ireland

Country of Experience:

England

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Demosthenes

Title:

[unknown]

Genre:

Classics, Politics, Law, Judicial orations, political orations

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

in the original Greek, probably with scholarly apparatus

Provenance

owned

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Source Information:

Record ID:

32344

Source:

Print

Author:

C. S. Lewis

Editor:

Walter Hooper

Title:

C. S. Lewis Collected Letters

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

2000

Vol:

1

Page:

137

Additional Comments:

From a letter to his father, 19? July 1915. I have expanded the date range from the date of this letter to the end of Lewis's time with Mr Kirkpatrick, because I think this study continued throughout.

Citation:

C. S. Lewis, Walter Hooper (ed.), C. S. Lewis Collected Letters, (London, 2000), 1, p. 137, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=32344, accessed: 18 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

Almost certainly owned by Lewis. His tutor gave him a list of books to order which included Demosthenes' 'De Corona.' (Letters, v.1.,p.141). Lewis read Demosthenes and Cicero out of duty. Throughout his prolific correspondence he refers to them only in passing and in 'Surprised by Joy', Ch.9, he writes about 'the two great bores' who 'could not be avoided.'