Reading Experience Database
1450-1945

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Record 12977

Reading Experience:

Evidence:
[Having heard some lectures on Spurzheim's ideas] 'I have since looked into the Dr's book, and if possible the case is worse. Certainly, it is not true, that, our intellectual & moral & physical powers are jumbled in such huge disorder - surely it will be marvellous if these powers can be defined and estimated with such Mathematical precision, from the size & figure of the scull; but it is very silly to say that Spurzhiem has demonstrated all this - Spurzhiem has demonstrated nothing; -for any thing he knows to the contrary, the faculties of the soul are to be ascertained from the figure & size of the abdomen - if the venerable science of palmistry is not to be revived - It is in vain to rail against the opposition shewn to novelties?the doctrine is not to be rejected for its novelty, but for its want of truth'
Century: 1800-1849
Date: Between 1 Mar 1817 and 31 Mar 1817
Country: Scotland
Time: n/a
Place: city: Kirkcaldy
   
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:Thomas Carlyle
Age Adult (18-100+)
Gender Male
Date of Birth 4 Dec 1795
Socio-economic group: Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation: Teacher, later man of letters
Religion: Christian
Country of origin: Scotland
Country of experience: Scotland
Listeners present if any:
(e.g. family, servants, friends, workmates)
n/a
Additional comments: n/a

 

Text Being Read:

Author: Johann Spurzheim
Title: [work on phrenology]
Genre: Science, Medicine
Form of Text: Print: Book
Publication details: n/a
Provenance: unknown

 

Source Information:

Record ID: 12977  
Source - Print  
  Author: n/a
  Editor: Charles Richard Sanders
  Title: The Collected Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle
  Place of Publication: Durham, NC
  Date of Publication: 1970
  Vol: I
  Page: 96
  Additional comments: Letter to Robert Mitchell

Citation: Charles Richard Sanders (ed.), The Collected Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle (Durham, NC, 1970), I, p. 96, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=12977, accessed: 25 April 2024

Additional comments:

 

 

Reading Experience Database version 2.0.  Page updated: 27th Apr 2016  3:15pm (GMT)