A Visitation of the Plague

by Daniel Defoe

One of 60 low-priced classic texts published to celebrate Penguin's 60th anniversary. All the titles are extracts from "Penguin Classics" titles, in this case from A Journal of the Plague Year, which was originally published in 1722.

As an adaption, the original date is not used in this case.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literature, Historical Fiction

55 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1996

About the author

Daniel Defoe was an English novelist, journalist, merchant, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translations. He has been seen as one of the earliest proponents of the English novel, and helped to popularise the form in Britain with others such as Aphra Behn and Samuel Richardson. Defoe wrote many political tracts, was often in trouble with the authorities, and spent a period in prison. Intellectuals and political leaders paid attention to his fresh ideas and sometimes consulted him.
Defoe was a prolific and versatile writer, producing more than three hundred works—books, pamphlets, and journals—on diverse topics, including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural. He was also a pioneer of business journalism and economic journalism.

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excerpt from A Journal of the Plague Year.
This is historical fiction, written in 1772, with the plague of London happening 1665, when Dafoe was five years old, so this is not written from memory or experience. The excerpt seems well selected, but is more a collection of observations and anecdotes than a story. Perhaps the full novel picks up more of a narrative? The more interesting aspect of this book for me was the examination of the religious fervour that overtook the city during the worst months, the 'snake-oil' sellers and conmen, as well as the physicians who no doubt believed they were doing their best to help.
A few of the printed bills amused:
An Italian gentlewoman just arrived from Naples, having a choice secret to prevent infection, which she found out by her great experience, and did wonderful cures with it in the late plague there, wherein there died 20,000 in one day.
and
An experienced physician, who has long studied the doctrine of antidotes against all types of poison and infection, has, after forty years' practice, arrived to such skill as may, with God's blessing, direct persons how to prevent their being touched by any contagious distemper whatsoever. He directs the poor gratis. except, of course, that the gratis direction is 'buy my snake oil, and you shall be saved' or words to that effect...

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven't already picked up Daniel Defoe's "A visitation of the plague" go for it. As we are moving out of our present "plague" Defoe's observations of quack doctors (remember Donald Trump washing out his lungs to get rid of Covid 19?) Trump probably had no idea that he was mimicking the quack naysayers and charlatans that plagued Defoe's London in 1665.

I found it interesting that the London population beset by the Plague used many of the same tactics our generation has used to avoid catching Covid 19...ie laws to stop people attending public events such as dancing rooms, puppet shows, theatricals, music houses, etc. They had their own social distance protocols.

[Libby Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short insight into life during the 1665 plague. Daniel Defoe tells how charlatons jumped on the plague bandwagon and fortold the future as well as pedalling potions and lotions etc as a ‘cure’. Doctors doled out all kinds of poison and bishops and church ministers also saw a way to keep people fearing God by preaching hell and damnation. The common man was so scared and deluded that they began to ‘see’ angels and ghosts. The biggest clients of the charlatons were mais and man servants who feared their employers would cast them aside.

[Patrick Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early zombie apocalypse fiction.

[Spartacus7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Great Plague of London (1665-66), which Defoe lived through as a young boy, killed ~100,000 people (~20% of the cuty's population) spreading enormous fear, misery, exploitation, and sacrifice. This story is short, to-the-point, inciteful and relevant to everyone's recent experiences with Covid19 and other recent pandemics. Many of the issues briefly narrated, not surprisingly, will be eerily familiar. Some won't be directly but will provide you with a view of what many others experienced.

This is an extract from Defoe's A Journal of the Plague Year.

Worth reading.

[Gordon Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extract from Defoe’s 1722 Journal of a Plague Year, itself a remarkable journalistic, but fictionalised account of the plague ripping through London in 1665. I read the full version a few years ago, but a post COVID reading can’t fail to pay attention to the author’s wonderment of deserted streets; his noticing his fellow citizens becoming inured to recurring outbreaks; and his vitriol for the quacks who either encourage false rumours or who seek to profit from others’ misfortunes.

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, where do I start. Well. It's short, that's for sure, but it definitely doesn't feel it. Are you sure this is only an extract? It really felt like a whole damn series. And not an interesting one, a boring one you feel obliged to finish because you brought the box set. It's uneducated, poorly written, and the writer loves the word Gay. Like, a lot. Nothing wrong with the word, but any word becomes annoying when it's used on practically every page.

[John Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excerpt from A Journal of the Plague Year. It felt quite appropriate to be reading this in 2021. It was interesting to compare that plague to now and to learn that there was fake news, fake cures that spread like wildfire just like now.

[Jack]

A tale of apocalyptic catastrophe. Useful to give some context to the relative stability of modern society (espeically when despairing in the wake of an unfavourable election result)

[Nils · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plus ça change, plus le même chose....

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

“One mischief always introduces another. These terrors and apprehensions of the people led them into a thousand weak, foolish, and wicked things...”

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excerpt only and fascinating mainly to compare his thoughts and feelings and daily circumstances with the experience of COVID.

[Srikanth Sreedharan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book in these times of Pandemic will surely give a fresh perspective....

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Substitute COVID for the plague and this could have been written today. Have we learned nothing?

[Özlem · Rating 1 out of 5]

When Defoe writes five run-on sentences in the same paragraph it's art, but when I do two, it's fire and brimstone upon my whole family.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lively account of the plague in London, not without echoes of our more recent epidemic ...

[Kait Leeming · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one seemed apt. This tells us one man’s account of the year 1655 and the great plague. If you took the time to rewrite this in 21st century vernacular this could easily be the tale of 2020. So many parallels except (IMHO) significantly more political competence - So you’ve got plague? We will lock you in your home, guard your house and shoot you if you try to leave (well that’d soon sort the no mask brigade). There’s some interesting commentary on the willingness of the poor to ’gamble their life’ to make a living, meaning they either die from plague or die from poverty, which really made me think how little has changed. Well worth a read.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping first person account of a plague epidemic.