Online Diaries: Transformation of Medium and Meaning - 18th Century: Public Books

Although diaries are often thought of as historically private documents, in the eighteenth century they were public and often used as open, running letters between family members or scrutinized by outside figures (Greer, 300). In fact, as E. Jennifer Monaghan points out, “The best single characterization of the journal is perhaps that it was an open site for family communication” (Monaghan, 12). Although diaries kept what is seen as their typical functions, such as recording events and attire, their writers knew they were writing for an audience and acknowledged their readers as listeners. Monaghan uses the example of Anna Green Winslow, who wrote from 1771-1773, to demonstrate the purpose of diaries during that century. Through Anna’s diary, which she wrote while she lived with her aunt and attended school in Boston, it is clear that the purpose of diaries was to bring families together (Monahgan, 13). Portions of the diary were sent off to her parents, who would read and send comments back on it. She also wrote for a local audience: Her aunt and visitors to her home in Boston read and commented on her entries in the margins, or the visitors were treated to readings from it. Anna would later write in her diary about her embarrassment of reading. She also looked over previous entries and critiqued her own writing (Monahgan, 14). In other words, during the eighteenth century, diary-writing was a metalinguistic project, because diarists such as Anna had “to think about writing as an object outside the writer” (Monahgan, 14).

The eighteenth century diarist is very similar to the personal blogger of today, who is often aware of her or his audience and usually prepared to receive criticism or compliments from readers, as well as critique and revise previous posts. In other words, the purpose of diaries in the eighteenth century as public communication devices, in addition to being vehicles of self expression, seems much more compatible with online diaries today.

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