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

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Record Number: 28144


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

[Catherine Talbot to Elizabeth Carter, 29 July 1757:] 'My mother's passion is feeding chickens, in this too I share with her, and we study the various characters of the poultry with infinite amusement. Two of our hens are called Cleopatra and Octavia, my mother named them, and with perfect justice, and we divert ourselves with studying how the chickens take after them. These names put me in mind to ask you how could Mrs Fielding who is so good a woman make Octavia self-sufficient under suffering and trials, and not so much as hint the smallest degree of uninstructed piety as even heathens had [...] I do not love any dialogues of the dead, because it is representing a true and awful state in generally a false light [...] Fine people are too apt to think they may live very happy, and be very remarkably good without any religion, and Octavia will convince them of it, for her story is enchantingly told, and in some parts made [italics] even me [end italics] cry very heartily -- [italics] even me [end italics] as if I was of adamant.'

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1756 and 29 Jul 1757

Country:

n/a

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:

Catherine Talbot

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

21 May 1721

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

n/a

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

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Sarah Fielding

Title:

The Lives of Cleopatra and Octavia

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

28144

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

Montagu Pennington

Title:

A Series of Letters between Mrs Elizabeth Carter and Miss Catherine Talbot, from the year 1741 to 1770. To which are added, Letters from Mrs Elizabeth Carter to Mrs Vesey, between the years 1763 and 1787

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1809

Vol:

2

Page:

251-252

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Montagu Pennington (ed.), A Series of Letters between Mrs Elizabeth Carter and Miss Catherine Talbot, from the year 1741 to 1770. To which are added, Letters from Mrs Elizabeth Carter to Mrs Vesey, between the years 1763 and 1787 (London, 1809), 2, p. 251-252, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=28144, accessed: 29 March 2024


Additional Comments:

None

   
   
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