Reading Experience Database
1450-1945

Basic Search

Advanced Search

Record 24368

Reading Experience:

Evidence:
Robert Southey to Horace Walpole Bedford, 12-15 December 1793: 'Lucan & Beccaria dei delitti & delle pene are my pocket companions. the republican Bard & the philosopher of humanity. Lucan pleases me more than any author in despite of his numerous faults. his ninth book is wonderful & when I say that he has not fallen short of Cato in his character of that illustrious stoic panegyric can go no farther. the character of Erictho is wonderfully imagined. how would Lucan have excelled himself in the death of Cato & of Caesar! I will venture to assert that had he finishd his Pharsalia — it would have been the noblest monument of human genius. Mays supplement disappointed me. I expected more from his abilities — forgetting that the sycophant of a Stuart was ill qualified to handle the pen of Lucan. Beccaria pleases me much. I had long been self-convinced that the punishment of death was as improper as inhuman. Godwin carries this idea farther. so far I agree with him that society makes the crime & then punishes it.'
Century: 1700-1799
Date: Between 12 Dec 1793 and 15 Dec 1793
Country: England
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:Robert Southey
Age Adult (18-100+)
Gender Male
Date of Birth 12 Aug 1774
Socio-economic group: Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation: writer
Religion: n/a
Country of origin: England
Country of experience: England
Listeners present if any:
(e.g. family, servants, friends, workmates)
n/a
Additional comments: n/a

 

Text Being Read:

Author: Lucan
Title: unknown
Genre: Classics
Form of Text: Print: Book
Publication details: n/a
Provenance: owned

 

Source Information:

Record ID: 24368  
Source - Manuscript Other
  Author: "The Collected Letters of Robert Southey," Romantic Circles Electronic Edition, Letter 72. http://www.rc.umd.edu/editions/southey_letters. Accessed 24 April 2009. ,

Citation: "The Collected Letters of Robert Southey," Romantic Circles Electronic Edition, Letter 72. http://www.rc.umd.edu/editions/southey_letters. Accessed 24 April 2009. , http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=24368, accessed: 28 March 2024

Additional comments:

 

 

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