Reading Experience Database
1450-1945

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Record 13429

Reading Experience:

Evidence:
'Many thanks for St Ronan, by far the best that has appeared for some time,?I mean the best of Sir Walter?s, and therefore, of course, better than all others. Every now and then there is some mistaken and over-charged humour?but much excellent delineation of character,?the story very well told, and the whole very interesting. Lady Binks, the old landlady, and Touchwood are all very good. Mrs Blower particularly so. So are MacTurk and Lady Penelope. I wish he would give his people better names: Sir Bingo Binks is quite ridiculous. I was very glad to find Dryasdust and Meg Merrilies excluded; one was never good, and the other too often good. The curtain should have dropped on finding Clara?s glove. Some of the serious scenes with Clara and her brother are very fine,?the Knife scene masterly. In her light and gay moments Clara is very vulgar; but Sir Walter always fails in well bred men and women,?and yet, who has seen more of both? and who in the ordinary intercourse of Society is better bred? Upon the whole, I call this a very successful exhibition'.
Century: 1800-1849
Date: Until: 28 Dec 1823
Country: England
Time: n/a
Place: city: Foston
county: Yorkshire
   
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:Sydney Smith
Age Adult (18-100+)
Gender Male
Date of Birth 3 Jun 1771
Socio-economic group: Clergy (includes all denominations)
Occupation: Clergyman
Religion: Christian
Country of origin: England
Country of experience: England
Listeners present if any:
(e.g. family, servants, friends, workmates)
n/a
Additional comments: n/a

 

Text Being Read:

Author: Walter Scott
Title: St Ronan's Well
Genre: Fiction
Form of Text: Print: Book
Publication details: n/a
Provenance: owned
sent by Constable

 

Source Information:

Record ID: 13429  
Source - Print  
  Author: n/a
  Editor: Nowell C. Smith
  Title: The Letters of Sydney Smith
  Place of Publication: Oxford
  Date of Publication: 1953
  Vol: I
  Page: 404-5
  Additional comments: n/a

Citation: Nowell C. Smith (ed.), The Letters of Sydney Smith (Oxford, 1953), I, p. 404-5, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=13429, accessed: 17 April 2024

Additional comments:

Letter to Archibald Constable

 

 

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