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

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Record Number: 25766


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Books read by Oscar Wilde in Pentonville and Wandsworth Prisons, June - November 1895: St Augustine, "Confessions" and "De Civitate Dei"; Pascal, "Pensees" and "Provincial Letters"; Walter Pater, "Studies in the History of the Renaissance"; T. Mommsen, "The History of Rome" (5 vols); Cardinal Newman, "The Grammar of Ascent", "Apologia Pro Vita Sua", "Two Essays on Miracles" and "The Idea of a University".

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

Between 1 Jun 1892 and 21 Nov 1895

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: London
specific address: Pentonville and Wandsworth Prisons
location in dwelling: Cell

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:

Oscar Wilde

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

16 Oct 1854

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

writer

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

Ireland

Country of Experience:

England

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

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

John Henry Newman

Title:

The Idea of a University

Genre:

Education

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

borrowed (institution library)
borrowed from prison libraries, though specially ordered for Oscar Wilde by Liberal MP Richard Haldane


Source Information:

Record ID:

25766

Source:

Print

Author:

Thomas Wright

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Oscar's Books

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

2008

Vol:

n/a

Page:

Appendix IIa, p.319

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Thomas Wright, Oscar's Books (London, 2008), p. Appendix IIa, p.319, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=25766, accessed: 28 March 2024


Additional Comments:

Source author explains: '[Richard] Haldane purchased all the selected volumes, perhaps with the financial help of Lady Brooke, and sent them to Pentonville. Although Wilde had yet to serve three months of his sentence, the books were issued to him at the rate of one title per week...' (pp. 244)Wilde read and re-read everything that was available to him.

   
   
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