Record Number: 28220

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

[Catherine Talbot to Elizabeth Carter, 8 May 1760:] 'To-day I have been reading with due wrath and abomination "Le Philosophe Sans Souci." Some lines in that wickedest of all books are so evidently taken from the wrong reasonings of the ungodly in the Wisdom of Solomon, chap. 2, that I confess to me they are perfectly harmless, but I tremble to think what mischief they will do in the fine world. In other parts of the book there seem to be really pretty things -- but how is it possible a man should be such an ideot? How unaccountable is it that pride [...] should make a writer so very mean and grovelling as to triumph in the very thought of annihilation, rather than acknowledge any being in the universe superior to himself? But there would be more use in writing these things to [italics] him [end italics] than to you, so I will have done.'

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

8 May 1760

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Lambeth

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

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Catherine Talbot

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

16 May 1721

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

England

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

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

King Frederick of Prussia

Title:

Oeuvres du philosophe de Sans-Souci

Genre:

Other religious, Philosophy

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

28220

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:

327-328

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. 327-328, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=28220, accessed: 25 April 2024

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Additional Comments:

On 19 May 1760, Carter wrote to Talbot: 'I suppose you have heard that the Philosophe Sans Souci has thought proper to disown that horrid book, and order it to be burnt by the hands of the common hangman. Surely that ought to be its fate in every country that calls itself Christian' (see p.330 in source).