Record Number: 21810
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'Before dinner Dr. Johnson seized upon Mr. Charles Sheridan's "Account of the late Revolution in Sweden", and seemed to read it ravenously, as if he devoured it, which was to all appearance his method of studying. "He knows how to read better than any one (said Mrs. Knowles;) he gets at the substance of a book directly; he tears out the heart of it". He kept it wrapt up in the tablecloth in his lap during the time of dinner, from an avidity to have one entertainment in readiness when he should have finished another; resembling (if I may use so coarse a simile) a dog who holds a bone in his paws in reserve, while he eats something else which has been thrown to him.'
Century:1700-1799
Date:15 Apr 1778
Country:n/a
Timedaytime: before and during dinner
Place:other location: home of Mr Dilly
Type of Experience(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Male
Date of Birth:18 Sep 1709
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:writer
Religion:Anglican
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: Title:History of the late revolution in Sweden , A
Genre:History
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceborrowed (other)
probably belonged to Mr Dilly
Source Information:
Record ID:21810
Source:James Boswell
Editor:R.W. Chapman
Title:Life of Johnson
Place of Publication:Oxford
Date of Publication:1980
Vol:n/a
Page:942
Additional Comments:
n/a
Citation:
James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson (Oxford, 1980), p. 942, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=21810, accessed: 19 April 2024
Additional Comments:
Originally published 1791.
