Reading Experience Database
1450-1945

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Record 27335

Reading Experience:

Evidence:
William Lamb to John Murray, 20 December 1822: 'The incongruity of, and objections to, the story of "Ada Reis" can only be got over by power of writing, beauty of sentiment, striking and effective situation, &c. [...] Mr. [William] Gifford [Murray's reader], I dare say, will agree with me that since the time of Lucian all the representations of the infernal regions, which have been attempted by satirical writers, such as Fielding's "Journey from this World to the Next," have been feeble and flat. The sketch in "Ada Reis" is commonplace in its observations and altogether insufficient [...] I think, if it were thought that anything could be done with the novel, and that the faults of its design and structure can be got over, that I could put her [i.e Lady Caroline Lamb] in the way of writing up this part a little, and giving it something of strength, spirit, and novelty, and making it at once more moral and more interesting. I wish you would communicate these my hasty suggestions to Mr. Gifford, and he will see the propriety of pressing Lady Caroline to take a little more time to this part of the novel. She will be guided by his authority, and her fault at present is to be too hasty and too impatient of the trouble of correcting and recasting what is faulty.'
Century: 1800-1849
Date: Between 1 Dec 1822 and 20 Dec 1822
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:The Hon. William Lamb
Age Adult (18-100+)
Gender Male
Date of Birth n/a
Socio-economic group: Royalty / aristocracy
Occupation: n/a
Religion: n/a
Country of origin: n/a
Country of experience: n/a
Listeners present if any:
(e.g. family, servants, friends, workmates)
n/a
Additional comments: n/a

 

Text Being Read:

Author: Lady Caroline Lamb
Title: Ada Reis
Genre: Fiction
Form of Text: Manuscript: Unknown
Publication details: n/a
Provenance: unknown

 

Source Information:

Record ID: 27335  
Source - Print  
  Author: Samuel Smiles
  Editor: n/a
  Title: A Publisher and His Friends: Memoir and Correspondence of the Late John Murray
  Place of Publication: London
  Date of Publication: 1891
  Vol: 2
  Page: 144
  Additional comments: n/a

Citation: Samuel Smiles, A Publisher and His Friends: Memoir and Correspondence of the Late John Murray (London, 1891), 2, p. 144, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=27335, accessed: 28 March 2024

Additional comments:

William Lamb was Caroline Lamb's husband.

 

 

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