I agree with that. I've been keeping a diary* for about a decade, probably even longer than Sam, and I realised a long time ago that without spending vast amounts of time writing it up at enormous length it would at best just contain fragments of my day. Sometimes when I re-read it (a very rare event) it looks to me like a collection of the shiny things that caught my eye over the course of a day. It is difficult to write a diary reporting continually on the minor details of dull day-to-day life.
My diary is not for anyone else to read (I'm not convinced it's even for me to re-read) and yet it contains many of the characteristics that other commentators have pounced upon as proof that Sam wrote for the eyes of others. Much of this "proof" I instead put down to Sam being a thorough and curious chap who wanted to write about the interesting stuff in a lucid and coherent way.
* if anyone were to read it they'd think more Pooter than Pepys
"You shall have this captain turned a shoemaker; the lieutenant, a baker; this a brewer; that a haberdasher; this common soldier, a porter; and every man in his apron and frock, &c., as if they never had done anything else"
This grouping really stood out for me. Something like it could be said to be the people whose choices were behind the great political events of this year.
It's always interesting to read discussion of the multiplier for money then compared to money now. I use x100 for modest sums/purchases but keep in mind that it's not a fixed factor. To put it another way, as the amount of money increases, in Pepys time its buying power increases at a significantly greater rate compared to now.
According to my x100 factor, £1000 then would supposedly be equivalent to £100000 now but it's clear that £1000 then could buy a very great deal indeed.
It's also interesting to see what is "expensive" compared to now. Manufactured goods unsurprisingly were very expensive suggesting certain types of skilled craftsmen (craftspersons) would have been able to make a particularly good living. Unskilled labour is very cheap. This means that as soon is someone's earnings were becoming decent, having servants was affordable.
A terrific entry, despite it having a bad case of Pronoun Hell.
It's often difficult to have a clear sense of the relationship between Sam and my Lord but as we can see here Sam is in a position of real trust.
For me this is one of those entries that, while reading it, shifts my perspective of characters in the diary and their relationships. It's this sense of discovery and re-interpretation of "known" things that is one of the joys of the diary.
My first post so I'll start briefly by saying many thanks for re-running the diary. It is simply tremendous.
In case it's not been mentioned, at 14.30 the Saturday afternoon play (today) on Radio 4 is Pepys: Fire of London. It's an adaptation by Hattie Naylor who is responsible for the excellent 15 Minute Dramas which have been running for several years. It will be available (depending on your apparent geographical origin) for 7 days from this link:
Comments
Second Reading
About Sunday 31 January 1663/64
mountebank • Link
I agree with that. I've been keeping a diary* for about a decade, probably even longer than Sam, and I realised a long time ago that without spending vast amounts of time writing it up at enormous length it would at best just contain fragments of my day. Sometimes when I re-read it (a very rare event) it looks to me like a collection of the shiny things that caught my eye over the course of a day. It is difficult to write a diary reporting continually on the minor details of dull day-to-day life.
My diary is not for anyone else to read (I'm not convinced it's even for me to re-read) and yet it contains many of the characteristics that other commentators have pounced upon as proof that Sam wrote for the eyes of others. Much of this "proof" I instead put down to Sam being a thorough and curious chap who wanted to write about the interesting stuff in a lucid and coherent way.
* if anyone were to read it they'd think more Pooter than Pepys
About Monday 9 November 1663
mountebank • Link
"You shall have this captain turned a shoemaker; the lieutenant, a baker; this a brewer; that a haberdasher; this common soldier, a porter; and every man in his apron and frock, &c., as if they never had done anything else"
This grouping really stood out for me. Something like it could be said to be the people whose choices were behind the great political events of this year.
About Thursday 8 October 1663
mountebank • Link
"Pepys gave us no specifics beyond it was nasty ... so he went to church twice"
Whenever I see on ellipsis on the page my automatic thought is that there's some juicy rudeness missing and I wonder what it is.
About Sunday 27 September 1663
mountebank • Link
You'd have a heart of stone to read this woeful entry without laughing
About Wednesday 2 September 1663
mountebank • Link
[Slight spoiler below]
Big weekend coming up, the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. There are loads of events in London and, luckily it not being far away from here, I'll be going to town to take part in a few. For those not so lucky, BBC Radio 4 has lots of Pepys/Great Fire programmes coming up:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b…
The Pepys dramatisations are done by Hattie Naylor who in my view captures the man and the times very well.
About Tuesday 25 August 1663
mountebank • Link
You're kind of restating my point but thanks all the same.
About Tuesday 25 August 1663
mountebank • Link
It's always interesting to read discussion of the multiplier for money then compared to money now. I use x100 for modest sums/purchases but keep in mind that it's not a fixed factor. To put it another way, as the amount of money increases, in Pepys time its buying power increases at a significantly greater rate compared to now.
According to my x100 factor, £1000 then would supposedly be equivalent to £100000 now but it's clear that £1000 then could buy a very great deal indeed.
It's also interesting to see what is "expensive" compared to now. Manufactured goods unsurprisingly were very expensive suggesting certain types of skilled craftsmen (craftspersons) would have been able to make a particularly good living. Unskilled labour is very cheap. This means that as soon is someone's earnings were becoming decent, having servants was affordable.
About Wednesday 29 April 1663
mountebank • Link
A terrific entry, despite it having a bad case of Pronoun Hell.
It's often difficult to have a clear sense of the relationship between Sam and my Lord but as we can see here Sam is in a position of real trust.
For me this is one of those entries that, while reading it, shifts my perspective of characters in the diary and their relationships. It's this sense of discovery and re-interpretation of "known" things that is one of the joys of the diary.
About A new design
mountebank • Link
Very smart. That is an attractive green. As ever, thanks ever so much for your continued work on this site, it is a constant joy.
About Thursday 10 May 1660
mountebank • Link
My first post so I'll start briefly by saying many thanks for re-running the diary. It is simply tremendous.
In case it's not been mentioned, at 14.30 the Saturday afternoon play (today) on Radio 4 is Pepys: Fire of London. It's an adaptation by Hattie Naylor who is responsible for the excellent 15 Minute Dramas which have been running for several years. It will be available (depending on your apparent geographical origin) for 7 days from this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b…