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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
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Record Number: 21781


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'As the winter grew colder and colder I spent the deep trough of the early hours in a huddled heap beside the stove, drinking sample bottles of liqueur from Paris-Plage out of a tin egg-cup, and reading an impressive poem called "The City of Fear" by a certain Captain Gilbert Frankau, who had not then begun to dissipate his rather exciting talents upon the romances of cigar merchants:'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 1 Dec 1917 and 31 Jan 1918

Country:

France

Time

morning: "the early hours"

Place:

city: Etaples
specific address: No. 24 General Hospital
location in dwelling: Hospital ward

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:

Vera Brittain

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

29 Dec 1893

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

writer

Religion:

unknown

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

France

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Gilbert Frankau

Title:

The City of Fear

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

owned


Source Information:

Record ID:

21781

Source:

Print

Author:

Vera Brittain

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Testament of Youth

Place of Publication:

Great Britain

Date of Publication:

1978

Vol:

n/a

Page:

399

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth (Great Britain, 1978), p. 399, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=21781, accessed: 29 March 2024


Additional Comments:

Vera Brittain goes on to include a long quotation from Frankau's poem.

   
   
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