Concetti Chiave
- Samuel Pepys was a brilliant writer and politician, born in London and educated at Cambridge, who advanced his career with the help of Sir Edward Montague.
- Despite a successful career, Pepys was arrested in 1679 on suspicion of involvement in a Catholic conspiracy and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
- The Secret Diary, written in Pepys's own code, captures personal and historical events, including the plague and the Great Fire of London, in a natural style.
- Pepys's diary celebrates various facets of life, including his work, home, and relationships, showing his appreciation for life's moments.
- John Evelyn, a contemporary diarist, documented similar historical events but with a distinct style, reflecting his background and interests in environmental issues.
Samuel pepys: early life and career
Samuel Pepys was a brilliant man and writer.
He was born in London and attended Cambridge. After his studies he managed to get a successful political career using all the opportunities he could take during the new regime. But above all, his career was due to Sir Edward Montagues’ patronage.
In 1679 he was arrested because he was suspected of complicity in a Catholic conspiracy, and imprisoned in the tower of London.
When he was released, he lost his work and went to live outside London.
The secret diary
He’s known basically for his “diary”, written in a secret code of his own invention. He wrote it for nine years, but then he quitted because he was turning blind.
Samuel Pepys’s diary is very personal: its author used a secret code because he wanted to make sure none would ever read it after him. In it he speaks about people and himself. He’s always the leading character of every situation, as of course it is in every personal diary, and the center of every event.
Though very important events are told and described in the diary – like the plague and the great fire of London -, it’s written in a very natural way.
Celebrating life in the diary
One of the most remarkable things you can notice by reading Samuel Pepys’s diary is that he used to celebrate every aspect of life: his work, his house, his wife – that he loved very much - or even a very nice woman he happened to flirt with.
John Evelyn was, like Pepys, another important diarist of the Stuarts Age.
They both wrote about important historical events of their period, and yet their diaries are very different.
Evelyn was the son of a country gentleman.
He studied at Oxford and spent a lot of time in the Continent.
When he came back to London he became a member of the Royal Society and tried to take pollution out of London.
He died in London when he was 85 years old.
Domande da interrogazione
- What role did Sir Edward Montague play in Samuel Pepys's career?
- Why did Samuel Pepys write his diary in a secret code?
- How did Samuel Pepys's diary differ from John Evelyn's writings?
Sir Edward Montague's patronage was crucial to Samuel Pepys's successful political career, as it helped him navigate and seize opportunities during the new regime.
Samuel Pepys wrote his diary in a secret code of his own invention to ensure that no one would read it after him, as it contained very personal reflections and accounts of his life and events.
While both Pepys and Evelyn wrote about significant historical events of their time, Pepys's diary is noted for its personal and natural style, celebrating various aspects of life, whereas Evelyn's writings focused more on societal issues like pollution.
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