The Strange History of Samuel Pepys's Diary

About this episode

Historian Kate Loveman discusses the significance of Samuel Pepys's diary and its impact on understanding everyday life in Restoration England.

Why does Samuel Pepys’s diary still matter 200 years after it was first published? In her new book, The Strange History of Samuel Pepys’s Diary, historian Kate Loveman examines how Pepys’s extraordinary consistency as a diarist has made his writing one of the richest records of everyday life in Restoration England. Writing almost daily for nearly a decade, Pepys’s diary documents everything from politics and scientific discoveries to theater and fashion. Even in times of crisis, Pepys reveals life’s ordinary concerns, from worrying about the source of hair for wigs during the Great Plague to safeguarding a wheel of expensive Parmesan cheese during the Great Fire of London. He also offers a rare glimpse into contemporary theatergoing, recording audience reactions and his own opinions, including Shakespeare. He famously dismissed A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In this episode, Loveman explores how Pepys’s diary has been edited, published, censored, and rediscovered over centuries, entertaining readers from the Victorian era to the COVID-19 pandemic in the 21st century. Pepys’s daily observations show how careful, habitual record-keeping can transform ordinary life into an invaluable…

People in this episode

Guest: Kate Loveman

Topics covered

• Samuel Pepys
• diary
• Restoration England
• theater
• history

Keywords

• historical records
• ordinary life
• censorship
• publishing history

Mentioned in this episode

Products: The Strange History of Samuel Pepys’s Diary

Books & works: The Strange History of Samuel Pepys's Diary, The Strange History of Samuel Pepys’s Diary, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Reading Fictions, 1660–1740, The Diary of Samuel Pepys for Everyman

Places: England, Stirling, Scotland, Studio City, California

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