Musing about Pepys

[pegkerr]

Intrigued by this review of Claire Tomalin's biography Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self. kijjohnson, I know, reads Pepys for fun. I have not read much of the diary myself, but I did make jolly good use of the extensive notes in the last volume of the annotated diary, when I was writing The Wild Swans, which offered fascinating, useful tidbits about funeral customs, foods, clothing, an excellent glossary of 17th century language and slang, etc. I read Claire Tomalin's biography of Jane Austen and enjoyed it very much; I might have to pick this one up as well. This makes me think about what I'm doing in LiveJournal:

No one agrees on when the modern era began. The 17th century, when Francis Bacon heralded the rise of science? The rise of a literate middle class in the 18th century? Author Claire Tomalin thinks the modern era began Jan. 1, 1660, when Samuel Pepys began writing literature's most celebrated diary. That diary, she says, shows Pepys to be the first modern man -- an argument central to her compelling new biography, "Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self."

Unlike the Puritan diarists who preceded him, Pepys does not appear much interested in the examination of conscience. Rather, Tomalin says, he "looked at himself with as much curiosity as he looked at the exterior world," an observer who writes with a scientific detachment about the self who acts.

He observes everything. He marks the events of the wider world . . . All is recorded with a matter-of-factness that fascinates.

Am I enough of an observer, really? I have developed a great deal of self-awareness, due, no doubt, to twenty-eight years of keeping a daily journal. But I think that I go through periods--like now, when it's the bleak midwinter, and I haven't seen enough sunlight for far too long--when I become rather like Sylvia Plath under the bell jar, breathing only my own air, thinking only of what is spinning around in my mind, rather than really observing the world around me. Sure, I've talked about the girls in recent entries, but I think that I have not been really paying enough attention to things that are not familiar.

I am not sure I'm explaining myself very well. But I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think I need to develop further that capacity that Tomalin says that Pepys had, to observe, not just myself and the concerns of my own mind, but a wide range of human concerns, with a discerning eye. I have been a bit too insular lately.

And so to bed.

Peg

P.S.: Afterward: Thanks to serendipoz for pointing out that beginning 1/1/03 Pepys' diary is now being mirrored on LiveJournal (mirrored from www.pepysdiary.com). Go to pepysdiary, add it as a friend, and you can read an entry daily on your friends page.

Comments

[penmage.livejournal.com]

I keep meaning to check out that diary, haven't had the time yet, what with finals and papers and whatnot.

Nifty to know that you got some of the details from Wild Swans from it - I've been wondering where to get some of those quite authentic details...I keep thinking, "as soon as I have the time to do a little research..."

[serendipoz.livejournal.com]

someone has just started to post the RSS feed of pepy's diary to the lj: www.livejournal.com/users/pepysdiary/. Not to mention this site: www.pepysdiary.com. So you could put it on your friends list and get a little bit daily. They are planning to post a daily entry beginning on 1/1/03.

[aome.livejournal.com]

Perhaps you can use some of your time with the girls for a greater external observation? Kids see all kinds of things we don't. In fact -- don't know how much you read others LJs, but I posted this article at mine today, about some of the benefits of parenthood (what you get for the quarter million it costs to raise them....) and it includes, among other things "Every day is a new experience as you ponder the wonders of rocks, ants, clouds and warm cookies."

So - perhaps they can get you started, lead you to some new observation or wonder, even in the bleak midwinter (thanks - I'm going to have that song stuck in my head now ;) ). And then you can go from there.

I find you often have wonderful observations about things. And the care you put into researching WS comes through in the book.

[daedala.livejournal.com]

Neat! I just got the Austen bio, and now I'm looking forward to it even more. I've been needing to read Pepys for a while, ever since I learned what a treasure trove his diary really is. Why do such cool things get a reputation for boringness? (Well, I know why, but it's still annoying.)

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

Pepys is wonderful to read, absolutely a desert-island book (well, ten-volume set) for me. I cannot recommend highly enough the Robert Latham/William Matthews transcription.

Everyone thinks of Pepys as a great observer of the world and the events of his time, but if you read the diaries entire, it becomes clear that what Samuel Pepys is reallyinterested in is Samuel Pepys. He tells us what he wears, how his bowels are doing, how guilty he feels about pawing a neighbor-woman, what he ate for lunch, and how much money he has in his pocket. This is his charm, and his strength -- and, incidentally, what most of the best diaries are like.

I feel this way about Fanny Burney's diaries and letters, as well. I hope that someday they get the attention they deserve.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Our guestroom has a shelf of books we hope will intrigue and inspire anyone staying over and looking for something to read. One of them is a diary I picked up along the way.

Who doesn't want to read about the details of other's lives, really? I've a friend who claims that gossip is the glue that holds society together. This is true in some ways, but the point is bigger than that. Being able to compare your life to others and see how you fit into the bigger world is the necessary thing. What are the extremes, who is like me, am I OK? We seek to quiet our self-doubts through knowing others.

K.

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

I have to admit to an addictive love of diaries. Chris doesn't understand this at all, so lately I've been thinking through the appeal, hoping I can someday explain it to him. I think you're right, that we look for ourselves in these mirrors. I also find there's no better way to explore a foreign culture (such as that of another century) than through someone's point of view. I know I am not seeing the whole picture, but who cares? When do we ever see the whole picture?

I think this is why my first two books are told as diaries.