Diaries, Memoirs, Letters and Autobiographies

Question 1

Alistair Thomson

Answer 1

Life story is never a perfect replay of events

It’s selective and partial

Question 2

Irina Paperno

Answer 2

18th c brought age of Enlightenment
& sentimentalism
Diarists wrote for moral self to ‘talk things out’
19th c turned into self reflection and self analysation of oneself - scientific too

Question 3

John Burnett

Answer 3

Autobiographies good as it is not through another person who might misread the experience
Shows what writer thought to be important
Can be exaggerated, filtered, suppressed.
Lower class tended not to write diaries.
Autobiographies can show family, childhood, home info etc

Question 4

Barbara Caine

Answer 4

Good for gender historians

Can explore hidden social groups

Question 5

Diaries etc pros

Answer 5

Direct experience of normal people
All classes, genders can write a diary in theory
Reveals what writers thought was important and what impacted them a lot

Question 6

Diaries etc cons

Answer 6

Can be suppressed/misrepresented truth
Time and memory can play tricks
Can be writer for an audience to be sold, to give info (the world wars)
Not widely represented
Deeper feelings unable to express

Question 7

(Case Study) Mary Hardy

Answer 7

Female diarist
Business like records, farming/brewing - traditionally man’s world
Diary was edited by family descendent

Question 8

(Case Study) Queen Victoria

Answer 8

Apparently strong minded and included who she disliked and liked.
& trips to places.
Diary was edited by officials and family to remove scandals. Originals were burned and transcripts were written

Question 9

(Case Study) Letters from British/Irish Emigrants to USA/Australia in 19th c

Answer 9

Ready by family AND neighbours - so shared/close knit communities.
SO may hide personal feelings and regret of moving to be positive
David Fitzgerald researched this