CATEGORIES:
BiologyChemistryConstructionCultureEcologyEconomyElectronicsFinanceGeographyHistoryInformaticsLawMathematicsMechanicsMedicineOtherPedagogyPhilosophyPhysicsPolicyPsychologySociologySportTourism
Domestic Affairs 1663January 13. So my poor wife rose by 5 o’clock in the morning, before day, and went to market and bought fowl and many other things for dinner—with which I was highly pleased. And the chine of beef was down also before 6 o’clock, and my own jack, of which I was doubtful, doth carry it very well. Things being put in order and the cook come, I went to the office, where we sat till noon; and then broke up and I home—whither by and by comes Dr. Clerke and his lady—his sister and a she-cousin, and Mr. Pierce and his wife, which was all my guest[s]. I had for them, after oysters—at first course, a hash of rabbits and lamb, and a rare chine of beef—next, a great dish of roasted fowl, cost me about 30s, and a tart; and then fruit and cheese. My dinner was noble and enough. I had my house mighty clean and neat, my room below with a good fire in it—my dining-room above, and my chamber being made a withdrawing-chamber, and my wife’s a good fire also. I find my new table very proper, and will hold nine or ten people well, but eight with great room. After dinner, the women to cards in my wife’s chamber and the doctor [and] Mr. Pierce in mine, because the dining-room smokes unless I keep a good charcoal fire, which I was not then provided with. ... October 21. This evening after I came home, I begun to enter my wife in arithmetic, in order to her studying of the globes, and she takes it very well—and I hope with great pleasure I shall bring her to understand many fine things[133]. January 7. ... To the duke’s house and saw Macbeth; which though I saw it lately, yet appears a most excellent play in all respects, but especially in divertisement, though it be a deep tragedy; which is a strange perfection in a tragedy, it being most proper here and suitable. ... May 26. (Lord’s day) ... After dinner, I by water alone to Westminster ... toward the parish church. ... I did entertain myself with my perspective glass up and down the church, by which I had the great pleasure of seeing and gazing a great many very fine women; and what with that and sleeping, I passed away the time till sermon was done. ... May 27. ... Stopped at the Bear Garden stairs, there to see a prize fought; but the house so full, there was no getting in there; so forced to [go] through an alehouse into the pit where the bears are baited, and upon a stool did see them fight, which they did very furiously, a butcher and a waterman. The former had the better all along, till by and by the latter dropped his sword out of his hand, and the butcher, whether not seeing his sword dropped or I know not, but did give him a cut over the wrist, so as he was disabled to fight any longer. But Lord, to see how in a minute the whole stage was full of watermen to revenge the foul play, and the butchers to defend their fellow, though most blamed him; and there they all fell to it, to knocking down and cutting many of each side. It was pleasant to see, but that I stood in the pit and feared that in the tumult I might get some hurt. At last the rabble broke up, and so I away. ...[134] January 12. ... This evening I observed my wife mighty dull; and I myself was not mighty fond, because of some hard words she did give me at noon, out of a jealousy at my being abroad this morning; when, God knows, it was upon the business of the office unexpectedly; but I to bed, not thinking but she would come after me; but waking by and by out of a slumber, which I usually fall into presently after my coming into the bed, I found she did not prepare to come to bed, but got fresh candles and more wood for her fire, it being mighty cold too. At this being troubled, I after a while prayed her to come to bed, all my people being gone to bed; so after an hour or two, she silent, and I now and then praying her to come to bed, she fell out into a fury, that I was a rogue and false to her. . . . At last, about 1 o’clock, she came to my side of the bed and drew my curtain open, and with the tongs, red hot at the ends, made as if she did design to pinch me with them; at which in dismay I rose up, and with a few words she laid them down and did by little and little, very sillily, let all the discourse fall; and about 2, but with much seeming difficulty, came to bed and there lay well all night. … |
After Reading
Comprehension: Recall and Interpret
1.What is Pepys’s attitude toward the return of King Charles II?
2.What issue causes conflict between Pepys and his wife?
3.In your own words, describe Samuel Pepys’s way of life.
Literary Analysis: Evaluate and Connect
7. Make Inferences About the AuthorSummarize Pepys’s behavior in each of the following scenes. What can you infer about his character traits,or consistent qualities?
• his observations of King Charles II (lines 9–25)
• his escape from the Great Fire (lines 111–132)
• his attendance at the church service (lines 164–167)
• his visit to the Bear Garden (lines 168–179)
8. Interpret Diction and ToneReread lines 68–101 of the selection, noting Pepys’s diction, or word choice. On the basis of phrases such as “my heart full of trouble” and “lamentable fire,” describe Pepys’s tone, or attitude toward his subject.
9. Examine Author’s PurposeIn general, an author writes to fulfill one or more of these purposes, or goals: to inform, to express thoughts or feelings, to persuade, or to entertain. What is Pepys’s primary purpose in keeping his diary?Cite evidence from the selection to support your conclusion.
10. Analyze DiaryThe Diary of Samuel Pepys not only records the drama of public events but also provides a rare glimpse into the author’s views about social issues. What messages does Pepys communicate about the following?
• the English monarchy (lines 37–62)
• education (lines 156–159)
• material wealth (lines 141–159)
• marriage (lines 180–193)
11. Connect to HistoryReview the chart you completed as you read the selection. What historical events presented in Pepys’s diary did you find most compelling? Explain the connections you made between these events and your own life experiences.
Literary Criticism
12. Critical InterpretationsThe author Virginia Woolf once said that the “chief delight” of Pepys’s diary is its revelation of “those very weaknesses and idiosyncrasies that in our own case we would die rather than reveal.” Do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Explain your answer.
13. Writing About LiteratureSamuel Pepys uses vivid sensory details and specific descriptions to capture the characters, setting, and events he chronicles. Choose three descriptive details that you found to be particularly effective. Then write a brief analysis of how the descriptions enrich his diary entry.
14. Personal WritingChoose an event and write a diary entry about it, using Pepys’s diary as your model. Include the details and dialogue that made a particularly strong impression on you, and describe your thoughts and feelings about the event.
Reading Focus II: from A Journal of the Plague Year
(Fiction by Daniel Defoe)
KEY IDEA As Daniel Defoe emphasizes in his novel, a plague can strike indiscriminately and unpredictably. Even today, with advanced medicine, diseases capable of triggering epidemics remain terrible threats to society.
Before Reading: Meet Daniel Defoe (1660?-1731)
Daniel Defoe has been hailed not only as a pioneer of modern journalism but also as the father of the English novel. Best known for Robinson Crusoe, the tale of a man’s struggle for survival on a remote island, Defoe wrote more than 370 works, including novels, poems, histories, political and social commentaries, and essays, making him one of the most prolific writers of his day.
A Disastrous ChildhoodDefoe was born in London, probably in 1660, the year England reestablished itself as a monarchy. When Defoe was about five years old, bubonic plague broke out in London, taking the lives of thousands. A year later, a massive fire destroyed a considerable part of the city. Although Defoe and his family were spared, Defoe’s childhood memories of how people coped with crisis and fear no doubt helped inform his writing.
A Daring JournalistDefoe began writing political essays in 1683, working at various times on behalf of both Tory and Whig causes. He contributed articles to more than 26 publications and started his own newspaper, the Review, writing nearly all the articles himself. He did not shy away from attacking government policies and was arrested more than once as a result of his inflammatory commentaries.
In 1702, his writings landed him in the pillory, a wooden device with holes for the prisoner’s head and hands. Prisoners in the pillory were usually pelted with rotten eggs and vegetables, but Defoe’s views were so popular that people drank to his health and threw flowers instead.
| FYI Did you know that Daniel Defoe . . . • was an undercover government spy? • promoted several of his novels as memoirs? • died while in hiding from creditors? |
Belated ApprovalDuring his lifetime, Defoe was not highly regarded by his literary contemporaries. Jonathan Swift, for example, stated witheringly, “There is no enduring him.” By the mid-19th c., however, critics had come to appreciate Defoe’s ability to plumb the depths of human emotion and to re-create in his fiction all the rich detail of real life.
While Reading
Date: 2016-03-03; view: 2944
| <== previous page | | | next page ==> |
| The Great London Fire 1666 | | | Building Background |