Record Number: 7880

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Fanny Kemble, journal letter to Harriet St. Leger, 27 June 1835, listing 'the books just now lying on my table, all of which I have been reading lately': 'Alfieri's "Life", by himself, a curious and interesting work; Washington Irving's last book, "A Tour on the Prairies", rather an ordinary book, upon a not ordinary subject, but not without sufficiently interesting matter in it too; Dr. Combe's "Principles of Physiology"; and a volume of Marlowe's plays, containing "Dr. Faustus". I have just finished Hayward's Translation of Goethe's "Faust", and wanted to see the old English treatment of the subject. I have read Marlowe's play with more curiosity than pleasure. This is, after all, but a small sample of what I read, but if you remember the complexion of my studies when I was a girl at Heath Farm and read Jeremy Taylor and Byron together, I can only say that they are still apt to be of the same heterogenous quality. But my brain is kept in a certain state of activity by them, and that, I suppose, is one of the desirable results of reading.'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Jun 1835

Country:

USA

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Branchtown

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:

Fanny Kemble

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

27 Nov 1809

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Actress

Religion:

unknown

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

USA

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Title:

Faust

Genre:

Fiction, Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

English translation by Hayward

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

7880

Source:

Print

Author:

Fanny Kemble

Editor:

Catherine Clinton

Title:

Fanny Kemble's Journals

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Date of Publication:

2000

Vol:

n/a

Page:

84

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Fanny Kemble, Catherine Clinton (ed.), Fanny Kemble's Journals, (Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2000), p. 84, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=7880, accessed: 19 April 2024

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Additional Comments:

None