Abstract:
A student of English often discovers in his British literature anthology a selection from Samuel Pepys's celebrated diary. The selection is frequently one dealing with London's Fire or Plague and is usually covered quickly with the instructor pointing out Pepys's magnificent descriptive abilities. Seldom do the students realize that the selection is representative of a literary genre that may reveal the soul of mankind in a manner no other type of literature may approach. The diary, intimate, spontaneous, sincere, shows Man's inner self. A diary may aid the historian in verifying his facts, ideas, and relationships, but it also, and more importantly, helps the historian to understand Han as an individual with secret hopes and fears. From reading the diaries of both the famous and infamous, the important and unimportant, one sees that all are human.
