Reading Experience Database
1450-1945

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Record 18307

Reading Experience:

Evidence:
'Since I have been in London I have read nothing but Miss Seward's letters and Miss Owenson's Missionary. Of Miss Seward I am bound to speak well, as she doth so of me; and her monodies are beauiful; but the letters are naught; they abound in false sentiment, and a great many other false things. As to the Missionary, Ambrosio is his father, and Matilde his mother; but, wanting the indelicacy of papa, and the delicacy of mamma, he's a dull fellow. I could think of nothing else but poor Margaret Stewart of Blantyre, and her presbyterian minister, while I read this. Miss Luxina brought her hogs to a bad market, for Hilarion was little better than a beast. Walter Scott's last poem I have also seen, but so hastily that I can be no competent judge of its merits. Talking of words, allow me to recommend to you Ford's plays, lately re-published. Some of them are excellent; the first in the series (which hath an awkward name, I must confess) and the Broken Heart, are particularly admirable. I am sure that you will be struck with them; for Ford is almost as moving as Otway or Lee, - who is the mad poet I adore, yet I can persuade nobody to read him. The History of the Somerville Family, which I have seen in MS., is soon to be printed, and that of Sutherland is to be out shortly'.
Century: 1800-1849
Date: Until: 31 Dec 1811
Country: n/a
Time: n/a
Place: n/a
   
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:Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe
Age Adult (18-100+)
Gender Male
Date of Birth 1781
Socio-economic group: Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation: archaeologist / antiquarian
Religion: n/a
Country of origin: Scotland
Country of experience: n/a
Listeners present if any:
(e.g. family, servants, friends, workmates)
n/a
Additional comments: n/a

 

Text Being Read:

Author: James Somerville Somerville
Title: Memorie of the Somervilles being a history of the baronial House of Somerville
Genre: History, Biography
Form of Text: Manuscript: MS book
Publication details: Not in fact published till 1815
Provenance: unknown

 

Source Information:

Record ID: 18307  
Source - Print  
  Author: Lady Charlotte Bury
  Editor: A. Francis Steuart
  Title: Diary of a Lady-in-Waiting, The
  Place of Publication: London
  Date of Publication: 1908
  Vol: I
  Page: 68
  Additional comments: n/a

Citation: Lady Charlotte Bury, A. Francis Steuart (ed.), Diary of a Lady-in-Waiting, The (London, 1908), I, p. 68, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=18307, accessed: 18 March 2024

Additional comments:

It is rather ambiguous who this letter (included in Bury's journal) is from, but it seems to be Sharpe. Walter Scott was involved in this book.

 

 

Reading Experience Database version 2.0.  Page updated: 27th Apr 2016  3:15pm (GMT)