How to Read a Diary: Critical Contexts and Interpretive Strategies for 21st-Century Readers

by Desiree Henderson

How to Read a Diary is an expansive and accessible guidebook that introduces readers to the past, present, and future of diary writing. Grounded in examples from around the globe and from across history, this book explores the provocative questions diaries pose to Are they private? Are they truthful? Why do some diarists employ codes? Do more women than men write diaries? How has the format changed in the digital age? In answering questions like these, How to Read a Diary offers a new critical vocabulary for interpreting diaries. Readers learn how to analyze diary manuscripts, identify the conventions of diary writing, examine the impact of technology on the genre, and appreciate the myriad personal and political motives that drive diary writing. Henderson also presents the diary’s extensive influence upon literary history, ranging from masterpieces of world literature to young adult novels, graphic novels, and comics. How to Read a Diary invites readers to discover the rich and compelling stories that individuals tell about themselves within the pages of their diaries.

210 pages, Paperback

Published July 8, 2019

Reviews

[Trevor Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Ideal resource for approaching diaries as primary sources. Also useful for reflecting on diaries as a diary writer. Good info on the development of diaries as a literary form. Also used and short intro to connections to born digital diaries related forms like blogs and social media.

[Karen Boyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad I found out about this book and I enjoyed reading it, but it did not have much that was new to me. I thought it would go into more depth about published and unpublished diaries but it was more of a survey without considering individual diary writers in any depth.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of several scholarly books I've read about diaries...

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed how the author applied her own diary experiences while offering a historical overview of diaries such as Pepys and Woolf.