Venus and Adonis
Title
Venus and Adonis
Text Read
Venus and Adonis
Author
Shakespeare, William. ed. Alexander Chalmers
Original Source
London: Bohn, 1854. The Complete Works of Shakespeare with a Memoir. pp. 671-8
Digitized by
Internet Archive
Publication Date
1854
Date(s) of Reading
- 1855-03-15
- 1867-08-10
Evidence
1855-03-15: "Thursday. 15. A lovely day. As I walked up the Castle hill this afternoon the town with its background of softly rounded hills shrouded in sleepy haze, its little lines of water looking golden in the sun, made a charming picture. I have written the Preface to the third Book of Ethics, read Scherr and Shakspeare's Venus and Adonis." Diary 1854-1861 54
1867-08-10: "Polly read Shakspeare's `Venus and Adonis' aloud -- wretched stuff. I had not read it for thirty years and what I thought of it then I think now. There is some vigorous Dryden like writing in the early part, but language, sentiment, imagery and dramatic motive all seem to me poor, coarse, and recherché." From George Henry Lewes's journal, 10 August 1867.
1867-08-10: "Polly read Shakspeare's `Venus and Adonis' aloud -- wretched stuff. I had not read it for thirty years and what I thought of it then I think now. There is some vigorous Dryden like writing in the early part, but language, sentiment, imagery and dramatic motive all seem to me poor, coarse, and recherché." From George Henry Lewes's journal, 10 August 1867.
Citation
Shakespeare, William. ed. Alexander Chalmers, Venus and Adonis, George Eliot's Reading, George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/57280