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

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Record Number: 21439


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Alfred Tennyson to 'Miss Holloway (of Spilsby)', 'about her cousin Miss Jean Ingelow's poems, A Rhyming Chronicle of Incidents and Feelings': 'I have only just returned to town, and found the Rhyming Chronicle. Your cousin must be worth knowing; there are some very charming things in her book, at least it seems so to me, tho' I do not pique myself on being much of a critic at first sight, and I really have only skimmed a few pages. Yet I think I may venture to pronounce that she need not be ashamed of publishing them. Certain things I saw which I count abominations, tho' I myself in younger days have been guilty of the same, and so was Keats. I would sooner lose a pretty thought than enshrine it in such rhymes as "Eudora" "before her," "vista" "sister." She will get to hate them herself before she gets older, and it would be a pity that she should let her book go forth with these cockneyisms. If the book were not so good I should not care for these specks, but the critics will pounce upon them, and excite a prejudice.'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1849 and 31 Dec 1849

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: London

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:

Alfred Tennyson

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

6 Aug 1809

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

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Jean Ingelow

Title:

A Rhyming Chronicle of Incidents and Feelings

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

1849

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

21439

Source:

Print

Author:

Hallam Tennyson

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Alfred Lord Tennyson: A Memoir by His Son

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1897

Vol:

1

Page:

286-287

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Hallam Tennyson, Alfred Lord Tennyson: A Memoir by His Son (London, 1897), 1, p. 286-287, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=21439, accessed: 19 April 2024


Additional Comments:

In postscript to letter Tennyson adds, 'Strange! that I did not see it. I turn to the title-page, and find the book [italics]is[end italics] published. I fancied it had only been printed. Forgive my hurry! Well, your cousin will amend, perhaps, the errors I have mentioned, in her next edition' (see p.287 in source).

   
   
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