Record Number: 12841
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
`My dear Watson: Who would have supposed that I should write to thank you for your considerateness in sending the Ode, in such circumstances as the present. If the Coronation should never come off, future generations will add a footnote to the verses - then no longer copywright! - to remind readers of their remarkable history; which though it will not increase the value of what is intrinsially so fine, will lend a curious secondary intersst to them. However, as the Coronation will probably happen after all, it is useless to speculate in this way. I will not attempt to criticise. All I can say is that the Ode struck me on a first reading & still impresses me, as being a piece of your very highest work; & to reach the level of your former productions is no mean achievement. Ideas & execution are singularly sustained throughout. I cannot find any place where they dip or falter: & my regret at coming to the last page was that there was no more of the poem. Believe me Sincerely yours Thomas Hardy`
Century:1900-1945
Date:unknown
Country:England
Timen/a
Place:city: Dorchester
county: Dorset
specific address: Max Gate
(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:2 Jun 1840
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:Author
Religion:agnostic
Country of Origin:England
Country of Experience:England
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
Circumstances in which Hardy read the Ode are not clear. Probably a solitary experience but cannot be certain as he did sometimes read material aloud to others.
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:Ode on the Day of the Coronation of King Edward VII
Genre:Poetry
Form of Text:Print: Unknown, Probably a pamphlet or book
Publication DetailsLondon, 1902
Provenanceunknown
Watson sent poem to Hardy
Source Information:
Record ID:12841
Source:Thomas Hardy
Editor:Richard Little Purdy
Title:The Collected Letters of Thomas Hardy
Place of Publication:Oxford
Date of Publication:1982
Vol:3
Page:26
Additional Comments:
Letter from Hardy to William Watson, June 30th.1902 MS Walter E. Swayze
Citation:
Thomas Hardy, Richard Little Purdy (ed.), The Collected Letters of Thomas Hardy (Oxford, 1982), 3, p. 26, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=12841, accessed: 19 April 2024
Additional Comments:
None