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English Diaries and Journals
English Diaries and Journals | Kate O\'Brien
3 posts | 1 read
With
8 Plates in Colour
And
19 Illustrations in
Black & White
Miss Kate O'Brien - brilliant Irish novelist and critic - is renowned for her wit, sensibility and fine discriminating style. These qualities make her particularly suited to write on English Diaries and Journals. Her approach to the subject is provocative - "the best English Diaries have been written by bores"; it challenges established reputations and singles out for praise others who have remained comparatively obscure. Pepys and Evelyn are shrewdly appraised; also the individual qualities of Wesley's Journal, the Woodforde family Journals and the diaries of the fascinating Fanny Burney and of that remarkable man Francis Kilvert; among contemporary journals, those of Scott, Barbellion and Katherine Mansfield figure prominently.
Miss O'Brien is highly critical of her subject but her sympathies are lively and she is always ready to be amused and to amuse her reader. This is a book to be read for the quality of its writing and criticism as well as for the able and informative analysis of individual writers.
LibraryThing
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Bookwomble
Bookwomble
English Diaries and Journals | Kate O\'Brien
post image
Pickpick

Having opened her short review of English diarists by categorising them as bores, O'Brien proves to be a lively guide to those of us who omit no detail of an anecdote, commenting that those qualities which in person are deadly dull as we have no polite escape, in written form are fascinating as we have the choice of reprieve & of skipping over.
The only diarist I'm inclined to explore further is 19th century governess Ellen Weeton, though her 👇🏼

Bookwomble ... journals look hard to find and a bit pricey if located. Still, another author to hopefully chance upon when browsing 🙂
As for O'Brien, I really liked her voice and she's also now on my radar.
Overall, a satisfying and decorative little book 🩷📖🩷 (edited) 1w
35 likes1 comment
quote
Bookwomble
Bookwomble
English Diaries and Journals | Kate O\'Brien
post image

"Let me begin with the hard saying that the best English diaries have been written by bores."

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Anna40 😂 1w
inkilea That‘s a confident first line 😂 3d
Bookwomble @inkilea The first paragraph sold me. I really liked her voice, so I may latch onto one of her novels if I come across one. 2d
35 likes3 comments
blurb
Bookwomble
Bookwomble
English Diaries and Journals | Kate O\'Brien
post image

A brief (48 pages) overview of some key diaries and journals from English history up to contemporary (i.e., 1943) times by Irish writer, Kate O'Brien.
It has 8 colour plates and 19 b&w illustrations, and is number 55 in an extensive series of books covering many aspects of English culture and history. Trying *very* hard for this series not to become a collecting "special interest"! ???

LeahBergen Ooo, I want this now! 😆 1w
Bookwomble @LeahBergen If you want to torture yourself with the full (I think) list of 135 titles, it's here on Library Thing: https://www.librarything.com/nseries/10382/Britain-in-Pictures 1w
LeahBergen Eek! There are several I‘ve already had my eye on. Are you trying to kill me? 😆 1w
See All 6 Comments
Bookwomble @LeahBergen What can I say? 🤷🏼‍♂️ Littens are co-dependent book enablers! 😁 1w
bibliothecarivs Thanks for making me aware of this series! 1w
Bookwomble @bibliothecarivs You're welcome 🤗 While I can't speak for the other 134 titles, I really enjoyed this one, and I think they'd be right up your street 🙂 1w
36 likes6 comments