Switch to English Switch to French

The Open University  |   Study at the OU  |   About the OU  |   Research at the OU  |   Search the OU

Listen to this page  |   Accessibility

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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
  RED International Logo

RED Australia logo


RED Canada logo
RED Netherlands logo
RED New Zealand logo

Listings for Reader:  

Miss V

 

Click here to select all entries:

 


  

Stephen Crane : Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

Charles Garvice in interview with T.P.'s Weekly, 5 May 1911 (p.556): 'I once found my daughter reading a book. I asked her what it was. "Oh," she replied, "It's Maggie" ... I took it up ... and to my horror I discovered it was the story of a New York courtesan ...'

Century:      Reader/Listener/Group: Miss Garvice      Print: Book

  

Jane Austen : Emma

'Mrs & Miss Craven - liked it very much, but not so much as the others.'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: [Miss] Craven      Print: Book

  

[unknown] : [unknown]

'It is a bitterly cold evening, towards the end of February. The fire is very low, and at the moment is rather smothered by small coal and slack. Miss V. is sitting over it, reading. Mr. T. comes in, dressed in Home Guard uniform, and rubbing his hands together.'

Century: 1900-1945     Reader/Listener/Group: Miss V      Print: Unknown

  

Giovanni Battista Guarini : Il Pastor Fido

'You seem so much interested with the translation of "Pastor Fido" that I shall take the liberty of sending it to you, that you may judge of its merits: not being skilled in the Italian tongue I cannot possibly give an opinion of it as a [italics] translation [end italics]. As anything else, I do not like it, nor ever liked pastorals or pastoral writing, even of the first order, further than as vehicles for fine poetry; and then the poetry would have pleased me better had it spoken for itself, than from the mouth of a creature to me so inconceivable as a shepherd or shepherdess, whose chief, or rather [italics] only [end italics] characteristics are innocence and simplicity. I am sorry to say they are but too apt to be insipid and uninteresting to those who merely read about them [she continues this critique at length, concluding] It may be owing to some defect in my mind that I really never yet knew an interesting pastoral character, or cared a straw about whether they hanged themselves upon the first willow, or drowned themselves in the neighbouring brook. I can enter into the delights of Homer's gods, and follow to their darkest recesses Milton's devils, and delight in the absurdities and extravagancies of Shakespeare's men and women, but I never could sympathise in the sufferings of even Virgil's shepherd swains'.

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Miss V[-]      Print: Book

  

Homer : Odyssey and Iliad

'You seem so much interested with the translation of "Pastor Fido" that I shall take the liberty of sending it to you, that you may judge of its merits: not being skilled in the Italian tongue I cannot possibly give an opinion of it as a [italics] translation [end italics]. As anything else, I do not like it, nor ever liked pastorals or pastoral writing, even of the first order, further than as vehicles for fine poetry; and then the poetry would have pleased me better had it spoken for itself, than from the mouth of a creature to me so inconceivable as a shepherd or shepherdess, whose chief, or rather [italics] only [end italics] characteristics are innocence and simplicity. I am sorry to say they are but too apt to be insipid and uninteresting to those who merely read about them [she continues this critique at length, concluding] It may be owing to some defect in my mind that I really never yet knew an interesting pastoral character, or cared a straw about whether they hanged themselves upon the first willow, or drowned themselves in the neighbouring brook. I can enter into the delights of Homer's gods, and follow to their darkest recesses Milton's devils, and delight in the absurdities and extravagancies of Shakespeare's men and women, but I never could sympathise in the sufferings of even Virgil's shepherd swains'.

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Miss V[-]      Print: Book

  

John Milton : Paradise Lost

'You seem so much interested with the translation of "Pastor Fido" that I shall take the liberty of sending it to you, that you may judge of its merits: not being skilled in the Italian tongue I cannot possibly give an opinion of it as a [italics] translation [end italics]. As anything else, I do not like it, nor ever liked pastorals or pastoral writing, even of the first order, further than as vehicles for fine poetry; and then the poetry would have pleased me better had it spoken for itself, than from the mouth of a creature to me so inconceivable as a shepherd or shepherdess, whose chief, or rather [italics] only [end italics] characteristics are innocence and simplicity. I am sorry to say they are but too apt to be insipid and uninteresting to those who merely read about them [she continues this critique at length, concluding] It may be owing to some defect in my mind that I really never yet knew an interesting pastoral character, or cared a straw about whether they hanged themselves upon the first willow, or drowned themselves in the neighbouring brook. I can enter into the delights of Homer's gods, and follow to their darkest recesses Milton's devils, and delight in the absurdities and extravagancies of Shakespeare's men and women, but I never could sympathise in the sufferings of even Virgil's shepherd swains'.

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Miss V[-]      Print: Book

  

Virgil : Eclogues

'You seem so much interested with the translation of "Pastor Fido" that I shall take the liberty of sending it to you, that you may judge of its merits: not being skilled in the Italian tongue I cannot possibly give an opinion of it as a [italics] translation [end italics]. As anything else, I do not like it, nor ever liked pastorals or pastoral writing, even of the first order, further than as vehicles for fine poetry; and then the poetry would have pleased me better had it spoken for itself, than from the mouth of a creature to me so inconceivable as a shepherd or shepherdess, whose chief, or rather [italics] only [end italics] characteristics are innocence and simplicity. I am sorry to say they are but too apt to be insipid and uninteresting to those who merely read about them [she continues this critique at length, concluding] It may be owing to some defect in my mind that I really never yet knew an interesting pastoral character, or cared a straw about whether they hanged themselves upon the first willow, or drowned themselves in the neighbouring brook. I can enter into the delights of Homer's gods, and follow to their darkest recesses Milton's devils, and delight in the absurdities and extravagancies of Shakespeare's men and women, but I never could sympathise in the sufferings of even Virgil's shepherd swains'.

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Miss V[-]      Print: Book

  

 : [books about Roman /ancient history]

'You bid me tell you what I read; and, in obedience to your commands, I confess myself to be at present under a course of [italics] historical physic [end italics], which ought to have been administered to me in my youth, and for want of which I have grown up under many infirmities. [...] I am therefore labouring hard amongst the ruins of antiquity, tho' even amidst their profound recesses I sometimes have a little of the dust of [italics] modern rubbish [end italics] thrown into my eyes. The truth is, in a town, it is very difficult to refrain from following the multitude in their pursuits of literature. One is so [italics] baited [end italics] with new books that one is forced to take the up in self defence; for who would dare to drag forth a huge musty volume of Roman antiquities, in preference to an elegant little epitome of modern biography? '

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Miss V[-]      Print: Book

  

Edward Young : Night Thoughts

'When my day's task is at an end, I keep my nightly vigils with Young, whose Night Thoughts I do think, next to Milton's, the most sublime poem in the English language. I know 'tis accounted gloomy, and for those who love an eternal glare of sunshine it may be so; but for such as seek the shade 'tis only a refreshing repose. have you read it of late years?'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Miss V[-]      Print: Book

  

Robert Morehead : A Series Of Discourses On The Principles of Religious Belief

'I am reading on Sundays "Morehead's Discourses on the Principle of Religious Belief", which are greatly admired, though I canot say I think there is either much strength or novelty in them. It seems to me as if he had taken some of the most striking passages in scripture and [italics] beat them out [end italics], and worked them up, as a [italics] cunning artificer [end italics] does a bit of pure gold'.

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Miss V[-]      Print: Book

  

Giovanni Battista Guarino : Il Pastor Fido

'to return to "Pastor Fido", with whom I have not yet finished, - I must tell you, that though I (what a great authority!) do not take pleasure in this said translation of the "Pastor Fido" of Guarino, many of the wise folks here admire it beyond measure. Walter Scott and Wilson are of these and therefore there must be something worthy to excite the commendations of such men as they are, though I cannot discover its beauties. I suppose it is for the reason I already mentioned, that to me there is nothing so insupportable as a pastoral life. The shepherds and shepherdesses are always simpletons and viragoes, and that rule is faithfully adhered to in this instance, with the addition of an [italics] Arcadian [end italics] nymph in a [italics] wig [end italics]!'

Century: 1800-1849     Reader/Listener/Group: Miss V[-]      Print: Book

  

Fanny Burney : [from works or diary]

'The rest of the meeting was devoted to Fanny Burney. Mrs Robson read a paper which had been prepared by Miss Cole dealing wih the main features of her life. We then had a number of reading [sic] from her works & diary by Miss Stevens, Mrs Unwin, Miss Cole, R.H. Robson, H.R. Smith, E.E. Unwin. To Miss Cole was due the success of the evening. She selected the readings & in most cases copied them out for the different readers. They were well selected & gave an interesting glimpse into the kind of life lived by Fanny Burney at Court as a Lady in Waiting'.

Century: 1900-1945     Reader/Listener/Group: Miss Stevens      Manuscript: Sheet, copy from book, taken by Miss Cole

 

Click here to select all entries:

 

   
   
Green Turtle Web Design