Adiaryis awrittenoraudiovisualmemorablerecord, with discrete entries arranged bydatereporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally beenhandwrittenbut are now also oftendigital.A personal diary may include a person's experiences, thoughts, and/or feelings, excluding comments on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone who keeps a diary is known as adiarist.Diaries undertaken for institutional purposes play a role in many aspects of human civilization, including government records (e.g.Hansard), businessledgers,and militaryrecords.In British English, the word may also denotea preprinted journal format.
Today the term is generally employed for personal diaries, normally intended to remain private or to have a limited circulation amongst friends or relatives. The word "journal"may be sometimes used for" diary, "but generally a diary has (or intends to have) daily entries (from the Latin word for 'day'), whereas journal-writing can be less frequent.
Although a diary may provide information for amemoir,autobiographyorbiography,it is generally written not with the intention of being published as it stands, but for the author's own use. In recent years, however, there is internal evidence in some diaries (e.g. those ofNed Rorem,Alan Clark,Tony BennorSimon Gray) that they are written with eventual publication in mind, with the intention of self-vindication (pre- or posthumous), or simply for profit.
By extension, the termdiaryis also used to mean a printed publication of a written diary; and may also refer to other terms of journal including electronic formats (e.g.blogs).
Etymology
editThe word 'diary' comes from theLatindiarium( "daily allowance," fromdies,"day" ).[1]The word 'journal' comes from the same root (diurnus,"of the day" ) through theOld Frenchjurnal(the modernFrenchfor 'day' beingjour).[2]
The earliest recorded use of the word 'diary' to refer to a book in which a daily record was written was inBen Jonson's comedyVolponein 1605.[3]
History
editThe earliest known book resembling a diary is theDiary of Merer,an ancient Egyptian logbook whose author described the transportation of limestone fromTuratoGiza,likely to clad the outside of theGreat Pyramid.The oldest extant diaries come fromMiddle EasternandEast Asiancultures, although the even earlier workTo Myself(Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν), today known as theMeditations,written in Greek by the Roman emperorMarcus Aureliusin the second half of the 2nd century AD, already displays many characteristics of a diary.PillowbooksofJapanesecourt ladies andAsiantravel journals offer some aspects of this genre of writing, although they rarely consist exclusively of diurnal records.
In themedieval Near East,Arabicdiaries were written from before the 10th century. The earliest surviving diary of this era which most resembles the modern diary was that ofAbu Ali ibn al-Bannain the 11th century. His diary is the earliest known to be arranged in order of date (ta'rikhin Arabic), very much like modern diaries.[4]
The precursors of the diary in the modern sense include daily notes ofmedieval mystics,concerned mostly with inward emotions and outward events perceived as spiritually important (e.g.Elizabeth of Schönau,Agnes Blannbekin,and perhaps also, in the lost vernacular account of her visions,Beatrice of Nazareth).
From theRenaissanceon, some individuals wanted not only to record events, as in medieval chronicles and itineraries, but also to put down their own opinions and express their hopes and fears, without any intention to publish these notes. One of the early preserved examples is the anonymousJournal d'un bourgeois de Pariscovering the years 1405–1449, giving subjective commentaries on current events. Famous 14th to 16th century Renaissance examples, which appeared much later as books, were the diaries by theFlorentinesBuonaccorso PittiandGregorio Datiand theVenetianMarino Sanuto the Younger.These diaries include records of even less important everyday occurrences together with much reflection, emotional experience and personal impressions.
In 1908, theSmythsoncompany created the first featherweight diary, enabling diaries to be carried about.[5]
Published diaries
edit
Many diaries of notable figures have been published and form an important element ofautobiographicalliterature.
Samuel Pepys(1633–1703) is the earliest diarist who is well known today; his diaries, preserved inMagdalene College, Cambridge,were first transcribed and published in 1825. Pepys was amongst the first who took the diary beyond mere business transaction notation, into the realm of the personal. Pepys' contemporaryJohn Evelynalso kept a notable diary, and their works are among the most importantprimary sourcesfor theEnglish Restorationperiod, and consist ofeyewitnessaccounts of many great events, such as theGreat Plague of London,and theGreat Fire of London.
The practice of posthumous publication of diaries of literary and other notables began in the 19th century. As examples, theGrasmere JournalofDorothy Wordsworth(1771–1855) was published in 1897; the journals ofFanny Burney(1752–1840) were published in 1889; the diaries ofHenry Crabb Robinson(1776–1867) were published in 1869.
Among importantU.S. Civil Wardiaries are those ofGeorge Templeton Strong,aNew York Citylawyer, andMary Chesnut,the wife of aConfederateofficer. The diary ofJemima Condict,living in the area of what is nowWest Orange, New Jersey,includes local observations of theAmerican Revolutionary War.
Since the 19th century the publication of diaries by their authors has become commonplace – notably amongst politicians seeking justification but also amongst artists and litterateurs of all descriptions. Amongst late 20th-century British published political diaries, those ofRichard Crossman,Tony BennandAlan Clarkare representative, the latter being more indiscreet, in the tradition of the diaries ofChips Channon.In Britain in the field of the arts notable diaries were published byJames Lees-Milne,Roy StrongandPeter Hall.Harold Nicolsonin the mid-20th century covered both politics and the arts.
One of the most famous modern diaries, widely read and translated, is the posthumously publishedThe Diary of a Young GirlbyAnne Frank,who wrote it while in hiding during the German occupation ofAmsterdamin the 1940s.Otto Frankedited his daughter's diary and arranged for its publication after the war. Many edits were made before the diary was published in other countries. This was due to sexually explicit material, which also led to some libraries banning the book.[6]
The writing of diaries was also often practiced from the 20th century onwards as a conscious act of self-exploration (of greater or lesser sincerity) – examples being the diaries ofCarl Jung,Aleister CrowleyandAnaïs Nin.[7]Among important diaries by 20th-century literary figures are those ofFranz Kafka,Edmund Wilsonand the French writer Paul Léautaud (1872–1956). The self-reflectiveDiary: Divine Mercy in My Soulwritten bySaint Faustinacontains accounts of her visions and conversations with Jesus.
A strong psychological effect may arise from having an audience for one's self-expression, even if this is the book one writes in, only read by oneself – particularly in adversity. Anne Frank went so far as to address her diary as "Kitty."Friedrich Kellner,a court official inNazi Germany,thought of his diary as a weapon for any future fight against tyrants and terrorism, and named it'Mein Widerstand',My Opposition.Victor Klempererwas similarly concerned with recording for the future the tyrannies and hypocrisies of Nazi Germany and of itsEast Germansuccessor state in his diaries. However in these cases, the authors didn't anticipate publication.[citation needed]
Internet diaries
editAsinternetaccess became commonly available, many people adopted it as another medium in which to chronicle their lives with the added dimension of an audience. The firstonline diaryis thought to be Claudio Pinhanez'sOpen Diary,published at theMIT Media Labwebsite from 14 November 1994 until 1996.[8]Other early online diarists includeJustin Hall,who began eleven years of personal online diary-writing in 1994,[9]Carolyn Burke, who started publishingCarolyn's Diaryon 3 January 1995,[10]and Bryon Sutherland, who announced his diaryThe Semi-Existence of Bryonin aUSENETnewsgroup on 19 April 1995.[11]
The internet has also served as a way to bring previously unpublished diaries to the attention of historians and other readers, such as the diary ofMichael Shiner,an enslaved person in the 19th century who documented his life in Washington, D.C.[12]
Web-based services such asOpen Diary(started in October 1998) andLiveJournal(January 1999) soon appeared to streamline and automateonline publishing,but growth in personal storytelling came with the emergence ofblogs.While the format first focused on external links and topical commentary, widespread blogging tools were quickly used to create web journals. Recent advances have also been made to enable the privacy of internet diary entries. For example, some diary software now stores entries in an encrypted format, such as 256-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption, and others only permit access to the diary after correct PIN entry on a secure USB device.
Digital diaries
editWith the popularization ofmobile apps,diary or journaling apps have become available foriOSandAndroid.Proponents have cited numerous reasons for journaling using digital applications, including ease and speed of typing, mobile portability, and search capabilities.[13]Digital diaries are also tailored towards shorter-form, in-the-moment writing, similar to user engagement with social media services such asFacebook,TwitterandInstagram.[14]Apple released ajournalapp with itsiOS 17.2update, pulling suggestions for entries based on locations the user has visited, music they have listened to, and photos from their photo library alongside prompts.
Other forms of diaries
editPersonal organizer
editA personal organizer is a form of diary to list actions and tasks for the day, which are recorded in a log, often using symbols to differentiate and categorize items.[15]
Freewriting
editIn free writing, the diarist sets aside a few minutes each day to write without any constraints, letting thoughts flow freely and allowing the subconscious mind to express itself. Freewriting can unearth hidden thoughts and emotions, fostering self-discovery.
Gardening journal
editA gardening journal helps gardeners improve their efforts over time by providing a historical record of actions taken, the weather and other elements, and the results.
Gratitude journal
editA gratitude journal is a diary of things for which someone isgrateful.[16]Keeping a gratitude journal is a popular practice in the field ofpositive psychology.
Sleep diary
editA sleep diary or sleep log is a tool used in the diagnosis and treatment ofsleep disordersor to keep track of dreams had in order to gain insight to the subconscious or for further contemplation.
Tagebuch
editTheGermanTagebuch('days-book') is normally rendered as "diary" in English, but the term encompasses workbooks or working journals as well as diaries proper.[17]For example, the notebooks of the Austrian writerRobert Musiland of the German-Swiss artistPaul Kleeare calledTagebücher.
Travel journal
editA travel journal, travel diary, or road journal, is the documentation of a journey or series of journeys.
War diary
editA war diary is a regularly updated official record of a military unit's administration and activities during wartime maintained by an officer in the unit. Such diaries can form an important source of historical information, for example about long and complex battles inWorld War I.
Fictional diaries
editThere are numerous examples offictionaldiaries. One of the earliest printed fictional diaries was the humorousDiary of a NobodybyGeorge Grossmithand his brother Weedon. 20th-century examples include radio broadcasts (e.g.Mrs. Dale's Diary) and published books (e.g. theDiaries ofAdrian Mole). Both prompted long-runningsatiricalfeatures in the magazinePrivate Eye:the former entitledMrs Wilson's Diaryin reference toMary Wilson,wife ofPrime MinisterHarold Wilson,the latter entitledThe Secret Diary of John Major Aged 47¾and written as a pastiche of theAdrian Molediaries from the perspective of the then-Prime MinisterJohn Major.Another famous example of the use of fictional diaries as prose is Bram Stoker'sDracula.A modern example includes theDiary of a Wimpy Kidserieswhere each book of the series is written in a first-person view of the main character, as if the book were an actual diary. Other examples are theBert Diariesand the cellphone diaries in the Japanesemangaandanimetelevision seriesFuture Diary.
See also
edit- Art diary
- Autobiography
- Automatic inde xing
- Bullet journal
- Coloring diary
- Commentarii
- Commonplace book
- Diary studies
- Electronic organizer
- Fake memoirs
- Hipster PDA
- Journal
- List of books on diaries and journals
- List of diarists
- List of dream diaries
- List of fictional diaries
- List of longest diaries
- Logbook
- Nikki bungaku/Poetic diary
- Personal knowledge base
- Category:Diaries
- Category:Diarists
References
edit- ^"Diary".Merriam-Webster.Retrieved7 June2012.
- ^"Journal".Merriam-Webster.Retrieved7 June2012.
- ^"Diary".Online Etymology Dictionary.Retrieved22 June2012.
- ^Makdisi, George (May 1986). "The Diary in Islamic Historiography: Some Notes".History and Theory.25(2): 173–85.doi:10.2307/2505304.JSTOR2505304.
- ^p.181 Moss, VictoriaThe ArchivistsIn StyleOctober 2012
- ^"SparkNotes: Diary of a Young Girl: March 14, 1944–April 11, 1944".sparknotes.
- ^This practice is explored in Tristine Rainer,The New Diary,1978.
- ^acopyof his "open diary" is still in existence
- ^Harmanci, Reyhan (20 February 2005)."Time to get a life — pioneer blogger Justin Hall bows out at 31".SFgate.Retrieved9 June2006.
- ^"Carolyn's Diary Museum".carolyn.org.
- ^"USENET announcement".google.
- ^John G. Sharp, "The Diary of Michael Shiner Relating to the History of the Washington Navy Yard 1813-1869,Naval History and Heritage Command,2015, retrieved October 5, 2016
- ^Chavanu, Bakari (14 July 2014)."10 Reasons I Prefer Digital Journal Writing Over Pen and Paper".Archived fromthe originalon 11 October 2016.Retrieved19 December2014.
- ^Hamburger, E (3 August 2012)."Day One: journal app nirvana in the Twitter age".The Verge.
- ^Ward, Jewel (18 December 2013)."The 'bullet journal': a new time organizing method or a recycled idea?".tamingdata.Retrieved27 December2017.
- ^Singh, Maanvi (24 December 2018)."If You Feel Thankful, Write It Down. It's Good For Your Health".NPR.org.Retrieved4 September2022.
- ^Cf. Andreas Dorschel, 'Denktagebücher: Zur Poetik des philosophischen Journals',Philosophische RundschauLX (2013), no. 4, pp. 264–298.
Further reading
edit- Gosse, Edmund William(1911)..InChisholm, Hugh(ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 168.
- Ronald Blythe,The Pleasures of Diaries: Four Centuries of Private Writing(Pantheon, 1989,ISBN0-394-58017-6)—the book contains selections from (mostly) English diarists' work.
