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

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Record Number: 20698


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'There is, in the B. Museum, a letter from Bishop Warburton to Dr Birch, on the subject of biography; which, though I am aware it may expose me to a charge of artfully raising the value of my own work, by contrasting it with that of which I have spoken, is so well conceived and expressed, that I cannot refrain from here inserting it: [the letter follows, including this passage] "Almost all the life-writers we have had before Toland and Desmaiseaux, are indeed strange inspid creatures; and yet I had rather read the worst of them, than be obliged to go through with this of Milton's, or the other's life of Boileau, where there is such a dull, heavy succession of long quotations of disinteresting passages, that it makes their method quite nauseous".'

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

Until: 31 Dec 1791

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: London
specific address: British Museum

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:

James Boswell

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

29 Oct 1740

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

lawyer and author

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

England

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

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Dr Warburton

Title:

[Letter to Thomas Birch]

Genre:

letter

Form of Text:

Manuscript: Letter

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

read in situ


Source Information:

Record ID:

20698

Source:

Print

Author:

James Boswell

Editor:

R. W. Chapman

Title:

Life of Johnson

Place of Publication:

Oxford

Date of Publication:

1980

Vol:

n/a

Page:

21

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

James Boswell, R. W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson  (Oxford, 1980), p. 21, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=20698, accessed: 29 March 2024


Additional Comments:

Originally published 1791.

   
   
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