English Diarists: Gender, Geography and Occupation, 1500-1700

Abstract

While historians have made use of early modern English diaries as a source for information on a variety of subjects there has been little corresponding research beyond a few select biographies into those people who actually wrote the diaries of this period. From the first English diaries of the fifteenth century to the end of the seventeenth a picture can be pieced together of the growing number of diarists, their status, economic backgrounds, and where they wrote these highly personal documents. In terms of gender it is clear that although female diarists were in a minority, their ability to write analytical and intimate accounts of their lives and close environment differed little from that of their male counterparts. In terms of occupation it is evident that great events and dangerous times inspired men to re-create their lives on paper. Consequently, military and naval diaries collectively make up the largest occupation for diarists. However, diarists also earned their livings from trade, the law, as astrologers, farmers and also, in one case, as a theatreowner. Moreover, the spread of diaries across England during the period shows that this personalized form of writing was not confined to the capital or to England's universities.

Diaries are ‘better than novels, more accurate than histories, and even at times more dramatic than plays’: Revisiting the diary for creative writers

“…Two major historical developments increased the opportunity for individuals to create written records, including diaries, about aspects of their lives. The first of these was the increased access to formal education which, at least for some, led to enhanced increased levels of literacy (McKay 2005). As literacy increased, and the printing press created more printed materials, more people of the literate classes engaged in silent reading (as opposed to listening to writing being read aloud) and this encouraged quiet contemplation and the development of personal -and private -thoughts and opinions (O'Sullivan 2005).…”

“…With the establishment of European communities in North America in the midto late-1600s, and in Australia a century later, writing diaries also provided an outlet for mental and emotional stresses that for various reasons could not be shared with others (McKay 2005). Diaries helped travellers and colonial settlers of both sexes to acknowledge and examine the daily challenges to be met, including loneliness and homesickness, and to cultivate a sense of identity in what were commonly perceived as alien environments (see Frost 1984;Holmes 1983;Clarke & Spender 1992;Robinson 1999;Brien 2008).…”

Confusion of Tongues: Constitutional Recognition of Languages and Language Rights in Australia

“…150 An important aspect of language maintenance was the teaching of Indigenous languages in the national school system. 151 In 2012, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Report, titled Our Land Our Languages: Language Learning in Indigenous Communities, highlighted the urgency of taking action on Indigenous language maintenance and renewal. 152 It recommended a range of practical measures to support Indigenous language speakers and to improve education in Indigenous languages.…”

Epônimos e o consórcio intelectual entre ciência e literatura

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