A Journal of the Plague Year
by Daniel Defoe
'A Journal of the Plague Year' Summary
Presented as an eyewitness account of the events at the time, it was written in the years just prior to the book's first publication in March 1722. Defoe was only five years old in 1665 when the Great Plague took place, and the book itself was published under the initials H. F. and is probably based on the journals of Defoe's uncle, Henry Foe, who, like 'H. F.', was a saddler who lived in the Whitechapel district of East London.
In the book, Defoe goes to great pains to achieve an effect of verisimilitude, identifying specific neighbourhoods, streets, and even houses in which events took place. Additionally, it provides tables of casualty figures and discusses the credibility of various accounts and anecdotes received by the narrator.
The book is often compared to the actual, contemporary accounts of the plague in the diary of Samuel Pepys. Defoe's account, which appears to include much research, is far more systematic and detailed than Pepys's first-person account.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1722Author
Daniel Defoe
England
Daniel Defoe is known for his lively and vigorous style, full of articulate lucid details and illustrations. The thing that makes the writing of Daniel Defoe stand out more so than others is that he w...
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