London in 1665 (source)
A couple of days ago I started reading Daniel Defoe's "A Journal of the Plague Year" which I just happened to have in the flat, and I found it so interesting I've decided to start reading it aloud on youtube for anyone else who might to enjoy these insights into 1665 (dressed for some reason in "It Only Hurts When I Laugh" pyjamas.) It's a novel rather than a journal, a work of well researched fiction, as Defoe was actually five when the plague hit, and I haven't finished the book yet so there might be all kinds of horrors in store. Be warned, it starts, as much apocalyptic fiction does, with a dry list of the initial death tallies, so if you want to jump right into the human interest stuff with the narrator debating whether or not to leave the city or stay and look after his business (plus some laughs) skip to 12:52, and if you just want to skip my opening waffle go to 1:40. Here then are the first twelve pages.
I should be able to post one of these a day if you fancy subscribing. Or if you're interested but don't want to have to put up with me
reading it, the full "journal" is available to read for yourself
online here. And that's a hundred straight posts in a hundred days! I do find it odd that I started this before, as it were, I needed to. I think I've been subconsciously self-isolating since the election, basically. Posting happy thoughts only though. Happy thoughts and the plague. I hope everyone's doing superbly! Big love.
This is an interesting thing and you should feel interesting... sorry, I mean good about doing it.
ReplyDeleteMy office (when I am in it) is at the Drury Lane end of Holborn, and until quite recently, there were banners hanging from the lampposts adorned with fascinating facts about the area (aimed at lost tourists looking for the British Museum, I imagine). The one right outside my desk window said "Did you know that the plague started near this very spot?", which was a peculiar message to get drilled into one's head on a daily basis.
Living, breathing, stinking history!
ReplyDeleteI can't quite remember, is the Great Plague mentioned at any point during the Ghost Bus/Time Tour routine? I can only remember the bit about the Great Fire, which was apparently just one year later - 'interesting' times indeed, for the Londoners of the time.
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying your reading so far, even the endless lists of death tallies at the beginning. (I've long given up on trying to stop my mother from writing down my country's current ones, but at least relocating somewhere else for the duration of the Thing was never an option for us, which I'm particularly grateful for after listening to the protagonist change his mind four or five times over a grand total of twelve pages.)
Looking forward to the rest of the book, and thank you.
You're very welcome. The Ghost Bus Tour would normally mention plague pits, the mass graves surrounding the City that had to be dug, but yes as a rule if traffic was light both tours would just mention the fire. I think that's one of the reasons I'm finding Defoe's day by day commentary so interesting, because one normally only gets an overview.
ReplyDeleteI remember one memorable tour with Peter doing his utmost to turn a shower of red lights into the next best thing to a running joke. (We were sat in traffic for ages, I have no idea how he kept it together; might have been the Time Tour, I'm not entirely sure.)
ReplyDeletePractice.
ReplyDelete