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A Journal of the Plague Year

A Journal of the Plague Year

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  • Create Date：2021-12-26 09:55:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Daniel Defoe
  • ISBN：0140437851
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Summary

Actually written sixty years after the plague of 1665 swept through London， Defoe brings the city to life in all of its hardship and fear。 With a wealth of detail， "A Journal of the Plague Year" seems almost a firsthand account， taking readers through the neighborhoods， houses， and streets that have drastically changed with the rising death toll。 The bustle of business and errands gives way to doors marked with the cross to signify a house of death， as well as the dead-carts transporting those struck down to the mass graves as the dead rise in number to nearly 100，000。 As the epidemic progresses and the narrator encounters more stories of isolation and horror， Defoe reveals his masterful balance as both a historical and imaginative writer。

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Reviews

Cole Butler ，

Trudging through the Old English was a chore at times; interesting bit of history with many similarities to the present situation of COVID。

Kabal ，

Certainly an interesting read， lots of fascinating parallels with the pandemic most of us have lived through。 It was a bit of a slog to get through， as it does read rather like a textbook at times， and can be very repetitive。 However， when it shines， it really does shine， and does an absolutely incredible job describing the bleakness of the situation and painting a proper picture of what London was like。 It was worth suffering the déjà vu of reading what seemed to be the exact same observations Certainly an interesting read， lots of fascinating parallels with the pandemic most of us have lived through。 It was a bit of a slog to get through， as it does read rather like a textbook at times， and can be very repetitive。 However， when it shines， it really does shine， and does an absolutely incredible job describing the bleakness of the situation and painting a proper picture of what London was like。 It was worth suffering the déjà vu of reading what seemed to be the exact same observations over and over for those moments。 。。。more

María Carpio ，

Podría tratarse de una de las primeras crónicas periodísticas narrativas en primera persona， de ficción。 Una paradoja imposible， si se quiere， pero completamente posible si se trata del Diario del año de la peste。 Y es que Defoe es un adelantado a su tiempo。 Es un cronista del pasado reciente， con un estilo literario y a la vez informativo， que bien puede preceder a las crónicas periodísticas contemporáneas， salvo un detalle que lo deposita de inmediato en la ficción: Defoe no vivió la peste de Podría tratarse de una de las primeras crónicas periodísticas narrativas en primera persona， de ficción。 Una paradoja imposible， si se quiere， pero completamente posible si se trata del Diario del año de la peste。 Y es que Defoe es un adelantado a su tiempo。 Es un cronista del pasado reciente， con un estilo literario y a la vez informativo， que bien puede preceder a las crónicas periodísticas contemporáneas， salvo un detalle que lo deposita de inmediato en la ficción: Defoe no vivió la peste de 1664-1666 en Londres。 Bueno， técnicamente la vivió siendo un niño （nació en 1660）， pero no activamente como el narrador de su obra， quien está nombrado como H。F。， por lo que Defoe quiso hacer evidente que era un personaje de ficción。 Por ello es que esta obra estaría en ese estado liminal entre la crónica y la ficción， y de ahí su mayor atractivo， el cual， supongo， es el mismo atractivo que tanto sedujo a García Márquez， quien confesó haberse obsesionado con esta obra。 Lo único que se le reprocha es una cierta tendencia a la repetición， pero por lo demás es altamente legible， tomando en cuenta que fue escrita hace casi 400 años， lo cual no se percibe en lo absoluto， si de términos formales hablamos。 Aunque esto último no sé si se debe a la traducción en castellano， pues no conozco la versión original en inglés。 Por otro lado， su evidente relación con la pandemia vivida recientemente hace que esta obra cobre una relevancia coyuntural aún mayor。 。。。more

Dr Susan ，

Perfect reading for a pandemic

Diana ，

Full of 17th century style， but fascinating。 I was particularly intrigued by the many parallels between the Defoe's plague year and our Covid year。 Full of 17th century style， but fascinating。 I was particularly intrigued by the many parallels between the Defoe's plague year and our Covid year。 。。。more

Marta ，

2021 e 1665: somos e não somos os mesmos， entre a tragédia e o ridículo。

Ursula ，

Een ontzettend traag en saai werk: Ondanks dat dit boek fictie is， heeft Defoe zijn best gedaan het zo droog en "factueel" mogelijk te maken denk ik。 De hoofdpersonage kwam daarnaast soms vrij arrogant over。 Wat ik wel interessant aan het boek vond is dat ondanks dat het bijna 300 jaar oud is， er vrij veel paralellen lopen met moderne pandemie-fictie en met de huidige corona uitbraak。 Daarnaast is het opvallend om te lezen hoeveel goede kennis er al was over ziekten （ondanks dat men natuurlijk n Een ontzettend traag en saai werk: Ondanks dat dit boek fictie is， heeft Defoe zijn best gedaan het zo droog en "factueel" mogelijk te maken denk ik。 De hoofdpersonage kwam daarnaast soms vrij arrogant over。 Wat ik wel interessant aan het boek vond is dat ondanks dat het bijna 300 jaar oud is， er vrij veel paralellen lopen met moderne pandemie-fictie en met de huidige corona uitbraak。 Daarnaast is het opvallend om te lezen hoeveel goede kennis er al was over ziekten （ondanks dat men natuurlijk nog niet wist wat bacteriën waren of dat die je ziek konden maken） en over de maatregelen die tegen uitbraken werden genomen。 。。。more

B ，

A good choice for March 2020 since as I read this I contrasted the doubt （or was it denial？）expressed by people about the number of people that we were likely to lose in a epidemic of this magnitude。 Defoe lists the numbers of dead from the handbills of the time。 I found the rate of increase horrifying and consistent with what we were all reading in statista。com and nytimes。com。But it's not just gloomy numbers。 He tells moving stories of love and sacrifice too。 A good choice for March 2020 since as I read this I contrasted the doubt （or was it denial？）expressed by people about the number of people that we were likely to lose in a epidemic of this magnitude。 Defoe lists the numbers of dead from the handbills of the time。 I found the rate of increase horrifying and consistent with what we were all reading in statista。com and nytimes。com。But it's not just gloomy numbers。 He tells moving stories of love and sacrifice too。 。。。more

Thomas Brown ，

I really believed this was completely auto-biographical， but turns out Defoe was a child in this year， and it's based on research and possibly the experiences of family members。 Well， it's extremely interesting， especially with relation to covid （things about quarantine of peoples' homes， the realisation that it could be spread before symptoms were shown， the changing feelings of the people as a whole）。 Some very grim parts， of course。 I really believed this was completely auto-biographical， but turns out Defoe was a child in this year， and it's based on research and possibly the experiences of family members。 Well， it's extremely interesting， especially with relation to covid （things about quarantine of peoples' homes， the realisation that it could be spread before symptoms were shown， the changing feelings of the people as a whole）。 Some very grim parts， of course。 。。。more

Justine ，

Not much has changed in 356 years。

Khris Lewin ，

Great book to read during Covid。 Here’s hoping this book will prove less relevant in the coming years！

Sharon Bollen ，

An interesting read following our own plague year; some of the passages referencing isolation， the behaviour of people and the availability of some goods were most apt and if it were not for the turn of phrase could have been written about COVID-19。

Karen ，

A Dull Account of The Great Plague of LondonMany of us learned of this book in 2020 as we contemplated our own plague。 I finally got around to listening to it。 For a work of fiction， this was dull。 But then， novels were not common in his day。Defoe was 5 years old during this plague and 6 during the Great Fire of London the next year。 （I read somewhere that his "memories" of the plague could be from his uncle。） The book covers the death numbers in different districts， the Lord Mayor's and other o A Dull Account of The Great Plague of LondonMany of us learned of this book in 2020 as we contemplated our own plague。 I finally got around to listening to it。 For a work of fiction， this was dull。 But then， novels were not common in his day。Defoe was 5 years old during this plague and 6 during the Great Fire of London the next year。 （I read somewhere that his "memories" of the plague could be from his uncle。） The book covers the death numbers in different districts， the Lord Mayor's and other officials' attempts to deal with the situation - burials， appointment of officials to close ill families in their homes to regulate infection， the support for those stricken， even the first rule ever of requiring all bodies to be buried no less than 6 feet deep。 He writes of charlatans， soothsayers， and miracle cures， as well as the different ways people tried to keep themselves safe。 He spends time on the many ways people invoke God and their continued visits to church， despite their usual attempts to avoid other people。Defoe discusses an insanity experienced by those afflicted， running naked down the streets， shouting， singing， or throwing themselves into danger resulting in a quicker death。 There is a long tale of a group of uninfected people leaving the city and keeping safe by creating their own "town" in a distant rural area， and a good deal about the way people living near the Thames or on boats on the river survived。All of these occurrences were told and often retold several times in a very dry delivery， sometimes even sounding like lists。 I am guessing Defoe wished this to be a factual account rather than fiction， and it may contain much fact， but I have never read an account of how people and cities dealt with the plague in 1665。Sadly， either the narrator or the quality of the recording created a difficult to follow book， with some murky words that may have been common when the book was written， but not heard clearly enough to be interpreted。I thought about reading Robinson Crusoe， but I decided Defoe may not be an author I should explore。 。。。more

Bill ，

I thought long and hard about rating this book。 Really， who am I to criticize one of the alleged great works of literature？ I've read my share of challenging books， this masterpiece is something else， however。 I have never had such a hard time concentrating and comprehending while reading。 The book is a slog。 Even if this 300 year old writing were "translated" to more modern prose， it would be an excruciating read。 Page after page of dry prattle about a topic that should be fascinating。 I'm givi I thought long and hard about rating this book。 Really， who am I to criticize one of the alleged great works of literature？ I've read my share of challenging books， this masterpiece is something else， however。 I have never had such a hard time concentrating and comprehending while reading。 The book is a slog。 Even if this 300 year old writing were "translated" to more modern prose， it would be an excruciating read。 Page after page of dry prattle about a topic that should be fascinating。 I'm giving it one star for the 20% I understood， but even that， I didn't like。 Not recommended。 。。。more

Paul Martin ，

Like Camus’ book， Daniel Defoe combines realism and journalistic reporting to create a tale of life during the Great Plague of London in 1665。 His work is more journalism than personal journal。 In fact， Defoe was just a child when the plague raged through the city。 His A Journal of the Plague Year （1722） is based on the personal accounts of his uncle， Henry Foe （Defoe added the “De” later in his life）。 What is most interesting in Defoe’s writing is the way he uses science and data; the book real Like Camus’ book， Daniel Defoe combines realism and journalistic reporting to create a tale of life during the Great Plague of London in 1665。 His work is more journalism than personal journal。 In fact， Defoe was just a child when the plague raged through the city。 His A Journal of the Plague Year （1722） is based on the personal accounts of his uncle， Henry Foe （Defoe added the “De” later in his life）。 What is most interesting in Defoe’s writing is the way he uses science and data; the book really reads as science journalism， with Defoe citing “bills of mortality，” statistical references to those taken ill and those who died， as well as documenting the spread of the disease in London。As with Camus’ work， many of the situations and responses Defoe describes ring eerily like our own Covid-19 response。 The government attempts to hide the greater spread of the disease。 “But it seems that the Government had a true account of it， and several councils were held about ways to prevent its coming over，” he writes， “but all was kept very private。”He offers anecdotes about strange occurrences both before and during the outbreak。 “A blazing star or comet appeared for several months before the plague，” he tells us， and these events continue up to the Great Fire of London which effectively ends the spread of the disease in 1666 by eradicating rats and curing the flea infestation that spread the infection。 People also seek out all manner of “quacks and mountebanks， wizards and fortune-tellers，” in an attempt to find some kind of logic in the spread of the disease and eventual death rate。 Poor people especially are victimized by this。 Many of these snake oil salesmen hawking quick remedies offer no mitigation for the disease， similar to Trump flogging chloroquine as a cure for Covid-19。Families of those who are hospitalized or die from the plague cannot be with their loved ones。 Defoe tells us they could not enter the church or hold graveside services。 In addition， he describes how when someone is taken ill or has died in a particular house， a guard is posted to keep the remaining family members from leaving the premises and possibly infecting others。 However， people would not report the death until the entire family could sneak out and go to the country or another area and thereby avoid quarantine。 This only spreads the disease to outlying areas。Plays， entertainments and other assemblies are banned and people who try to circumvent the law are “severely punished by every alderman in his ward。” This includes “all public feasting…dinners at taverns， ale-houses， and other places of common entertainment。”The most chilling part of his account is the bringing out the dead。 Because of the sheer numbers of bodies， many are buried in mass graves。 Special workers are designated to roam the village streets at night collecting the corpses to be transported to the cemetery。 Defoe tells us that some feverish people， near death， would escape the house and run to the pits in the graveyard and throw themselves in with the dead bodies， a kind of self-burial。 He also makes note of the fact that rich and poor were thrown into these mass graves， making the plague the great equalizer in society。 Many of these workers who handled hundreds of bodies did become sick themselves， but there is also a fair number who did not become ill at all， a case of inoculation by exposure to the disease。Defoe makes the case that people and government officials were not prepared for the onslaught of the epidemic。 However， there were previous outbreaks of plague before the events of 1665 but the warning signs were ignored。 He also expresses doubt about the veracity of those bills of mortality: “if the bills of mortality said five thousand， I always believed it was near twice as many in reality…”The striking thing about Defoe’s account is the way he addresses things science was centuries away from discovering and understanding， namely the idea of someone who is asymptomatic of the disease yet capable of infecting a host of others while not exhibiting symptoms himself。 “These were the dangerous people，” he writes。 “These were the people of whom the well people ought to have been afraid; but then， on the other side， it was impossible to know them…one man who may have really received the infection and knows it not， but goes abroad and about as a sound person， may give the plague to a thousand people， and they to greater numbers in proportion and neither the person giving the infection or the persons receiving it know anything of it， and perhaps not feel the effects of it for several days after。”Even the crowds at pools and the beaches that we saw over the Memorial Day weekend are reflected in Defoe’s writing。 He complains about people “running rashly into danger” by “giving up all their former cautions and care” in fear of the disease only to expose themselves to new threats as quarantine measures were relaxed。The prescient nature of Daniel Defoe’s writing tells us that plagues and pandemics have trolled human history back through the ages。 It would be a fair response to be prepared in the future to face these threats to human life。 We must learn a lesson here; I am not sure we will。 。。。more

Meg ，

Read this book during the covid lockdown。 The book is both interesting and horrifying。 The goodness of some and the stupidity of others is eye opening。 I tend to read books that show how real people cope with suffering。 This book presents a very good picture of the varied responses。

Candace Simar ，

An excellent book。 In spite of it being written in the 1700s it is surprisingly pertinent today。 I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in London history， bubonic plague or pandemics。 An excellent book。 In spite of it being written in the 1700s it is surprisingly pertinent today。 I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in London history， bubonic plague or pandemics。 。。。more

Feargal McGovern ，

Read this just before the second lockdown in France for the Coronavirus pandemic。 Tell you what made me all the more grateful for modern medicine and sanitation！

Catherine Puma ，

Published over 60 years after the event， "A Journal of the Plague Year" by Daniel Defoe chronicles the bubonic plague that raged in London and the surrounding English countryside from 1665-1666。 Defoe was only a young boy when the plague took place， so years later he took public accounts and anecdotal evidence to put this docu-drama together。 Defoe uses the framing device of fictional characters living in London throughout the epidemic as a means through which to discuss factual events while als Published over 60 years after the event， "A Journal of the Plague Year" by Daniel Defoe chronicles the bubonic plague that raged in London and the surrounding English countryside from 1665-1666。 Defoe was only a young boy when the plague took place， so years later he took public accounts and anecdotal evidence to put this docu-drama together。 Defoe uses the framing device of fictional characters living in London throughout the epidemic as a means through which to discuss factual events while also protecting himself from criticism in case he got certain particulars incorrect。 I quite enjoyed "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston， so I was drawn to how Defoe describes this great plague。 It is a bit long for something that is much more descriptive than being extremely character or plot driven， but the plague vs。 the city of London herself are more characters than individual people are， so I give this book a lot of slack for that。 As such， I am not an historian for this period， so I took a lot of what Defoe describes at face value。 I could not help but compare and contrast how the transmission and spread of the plague， as well as how people responded to mass graves and forced shut downs， to what the United States of America has been facing since March 2020。 Data suggests that nearly 100，000 out of over 700，000 （or ~15%） of the London population died from the 1665 bubonic plague， while only over 700，000 out of nearly 331 million （or ~0。15%） of the U。S。 population has died thus far from COVID-19。 This is not to diminish how horrible COVID has been， for we are still going through our pandemic， and with all of our medical advancements and understandings of how disease transmission and prevention works， my biggest takeaway from "A Journal of the Plague Year" is that human behavior has not changed that much in the past 350+ years。 For any infectious disease historian or researcher of this period in London's history， this is an essential read。 Quite eery at times， especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic I'm living through at the moment， this was a fitting October/Halloween Time read。 In 10-20 years， I will be looking to read what docu-dramas have been written about 2020-2022 U。S。 history。 I recommend this to anyone willing to reflect on how other people across time have suffered similarly nation-stopping and panic-inducing diseases。 。。。more

Todd Howell ，

DNF - while interesting to read it is poorly written fiction （though based on actual events）。The format is cumbersome， no chapters， just one long fictionalized account scraped together from other sources。 Got about 75% done before dropping it。Interesting insight into things， just not my cup of tea。

Madelaine ，

So nice to see that human behaviour hasn't changed at all in over 300-years。 Not terrible， but pacing is rough， it really could have benefitted from some chapter breaks instead of 200 pages of continuous information stream。 So nice to see that human behaviour hasn't changed at all in over 300-years。 Not terrible， but pacing is rough， it really could have benefitted from some chapter breaks instead of 200 pages of continuous information stream。 。。。more

Tarmo Syvapuro ，

Rutto tuo tappava ja erityisen tarttuva tauti Lontoossa。 Hienosti kerrottu kuinka tauti eteni ja kuinka ihmiset reagoivat。 Karmeita ihmiskohtaloita。 Monipuolinen ja tapahtumarikas romaani。

Carmen212 ，

Second listen。 I forgot how boring the narrator is， but that's Librivox。 Volunteers read books in the public domain but they are not trained。 I also forgot the religious aspects of the book。 But lots of fascinating details。 Second listen。 I forgot how boring the narrator is， but that's Librivox。 Volunteers read books in the public domain but they are not trained。 I also forgot the religious aspects of the book。 But lots of fascinating details。 。。。more

Brandy ，

Defoe wrote this in 1722- brilliant。 Interesting style/narration。

Stacie ，

Practically like reading The New York Times coverage of the coronavirus plague of 2019。 Amazing

Lucija ，

Nažalost， dosadnjikavo。 Zapravo se radi o romansiranom eseju， onog tipa "našao sam zapise od XY osobe pa vam sad ovdje to prenosim"。 Super ju je čitati za vrijeme pandemije i vući paralele kako je bilo onda i kako je sada。Spoiler alert - puno ljudi umire。 Shocking， I know。 Nažalost， dosadnjikavo。 Zapravo se radi o romansiranom eseju， onog tipa "našao sam zapise od XY osobe pa vam sad ovdje to prenosim"。 Super ju je čitati za vrijeme pandemije i vući paralele kako je bilo onda i kako je sada。Spoiler alert - puno ljudi umire。 Shocking， I know。 。。。more

Jennifer deBie ，

I first read Defoe's Journal in January 2020。 This is my third time re-reading it since then and on each pass something new and relevant leaps out at me- whether it's social distancing and enforced quarantine in people's homes （and resistance to those restrictions）， or the kindness of strangers， or the overwhelming situation driving desperate people to seek desperate and terrible solutions， there are some incredible universalities in this text。 It's not a fun read。 It's rambling， repetitive， and I first read Defoe's Journal in January 2020。 This is my third time re-reading it since then and on each pass something new and relevant leaps out at me- whether it's social distancing and enforced quarantine in people's homes （and resistance to those restrictions）， or the kindness of strangers， or the overwhelming situation driving desperate people to seek desperate and terrible solutions， there are some incredible universalities in this text。 It's not a fun read。 It's rambling， repetitive， and barely a novel by today's standards。 But at the time？ This was published in 1722 while Plague ravaged cities on mainland Europe （I believe Marseilles was hit particularly hard in 1720-21）， to help quell the fears of Londoners at the time。 It was meant to steady to populace， to tell people what to look out for， and give them some guidelines for what they could do to protect themselves and those they loved。 In that at least， it's something of a hopeful book。 Not all hope looks like sunshine。 Sometimes hope is the knowledge that someone before you survived this， and maybe you can too。 。。。more

Karina Vargas ，

Diario del año de la peste: 3 estrellas。Este es un libro atípico， y no fue para nada lo que me esperaba。Narrado desde la perspectiva de un supuesto sobreviviente de la epidemia de la peste bubónica que asoló a la ciudad de Londres en 1666， este diario pronto adquiere un perfil más informativo-divulgativo， que de testimonio en sí。 Aunque Defoe trae de esta manera una novela de no ficción cuando el género aún no existía， también lo convierte en una suerte de crónica periodística con un formato Diario del año de la peste: 3 estrellas。Este es un libro atípico， y no fue para nada lo que me esperaba。Narrado desde la perspectiva de un supuesto sobreviviente de la epidemia de la peste bubónica que asoló a la ciudad de Londres en 1666， este diario pronto adquiere un perfil más informativo-divulgativo， que de testimonio en sí。 Aunque Defoe trae de esta manera una novela de no ficción cuando el género aún no existía， también lo convierte en una suerte de crónica periodística con un formato indefinido y redundante。Los momentos que me resultaron interesantes fueron aquellos en los que se dedicaba a describir la concepción de la enfermedad en ese entonces， ya sea a un nivel científico incipiente o en el imaginario de la gente; el comportamiento de las personas ante el temor generalizado por una muerte acechante y las medidas de prevención tomadas para evitar la propagación del virus。 En este aspecto， el paralelismo con la situación reciente y actual del coronavirus se vuelve más notorio todavía。 （view spoiler）[Por un lado， el mecanismo de aislamiento y cuarentena， la importancia de la higiene （muy precaria en esos años）， el hecho de que hubiese vigiladores para controlar que las personas no salieran de sus casas （cuyas puertas eran cerradas con candados desde afuera y se tapiaban las ventanas）， los carros para llevar a los muertos a una sepultura profunda y común， entre otros detalles， me parecieron muy curiosos。 Asimismo， siempre que relataba cómo se escuchaban los llantos y los gritos de los familiares de enfermos que fallecían a cada momento， y cómo eso se impregnaba en un ambiente lúgubre y triste en las calles， la sensación de temor y miedo se transmitía muy bien。 （hide spoiler）]No obstante， debo reconocer que los aspectos que no me gustaron son subjetivos， y más aún si consideramos el contexto en el que fue escrito el libro。 En primer lugar， en su esfuerzo por dar al relato un carácter verosímil， el autor arroja constantemente datos de cantidades de muertos por semana y meses en las distintas ciudades; y digo que lo arroja， porque en verdad inserta varios cuadros con esa información en muchas partes del texto， sin hacer un análisis que lo justifique。 A mí parecer esto le quitaba coherencia a la forma del relato， que así se volvía impredecible y no mantenía un hilo conductor más que la existencia de la epidemia。 Entiendo que probablemente para la época en realidad no había un formato a seguir tampoco， pero me veo obligada a expresar lo que sentí al leerlo。 Por otra parte， tanto desde el inicio como hasta el final， se manifiesta la relevancia de la religión y cuán partícipe era la obra de Dios en todo lo que estaba ocurriendo。 Esto no me molestó demasiado。 En algún punto lo veo como ejemplo de su propia creencia y también como alternativa a la falta de conocimientos científicos en esos años。 Para Defoe， la aparición de la peste fue un castigo mandado por Dios， y la posterior y repentina desaparición de la enfermedad， no es más que la prueba de su voluntad。 Bajo este concepto， que como muchas cosas en el texto se vuelve reiterativo， el diario-relato-crónica toma cualidades de sermón。 Sin embargo， insisto que no me pareció agresivo， sino algo más propio del contexto。Acerca de la escritura， al principio me desagradó un poco， pero finalmente me acostumbré。 Tiene un estilo bastante descuidado， como si escribiera a los tumbos， sin saber dónde pausar o qué decir en verdad。 Creo que a medida que avanzan las páginas él mismo se va adecuando y esto mejora。 Eso sí， se destaca su vocación periodística y， sin que esto sea un insulto， de gacetillero。 El prólogo de la edición de Impedimenta， a cargo de José C。 Vales， es bastante elocuente y contundente al respecto。 Pese a que no comparto su enojo por descubrir que el libro es ficticio o que no tiene índice （？）， hubiese preferido leerlo después de la obra para evitar cualquier tipo de influencia。Diario del año de la peste es un libro interesante más por su concepto que por su contenido en sí。 Un escrito de no ficción novelado， con aires de crónica periodística， que simula haber vivenciado y sobrevivido la epidemia de la peste bubónica que padeció Londres en la década de 1660。 Defoe parece escribir con un objetivo más cercano a informar y a contar lo sensacional para conmover， que a describir con sensibilidad la atmósfera circundante。 En otras palabras， una guía de supervivencia de años pasados， con datos que se repiten y sobran， y que también demuestran que algunas cosas no cambian。 。。。more

Rob Sedgwick ，

There are lots of similarities between the Great Plague of 1665 and the Covid pandemic of 2020-2021。 The book itself reads like non-fiction but is partly fictionalised from Defore's uncle's perspective。 It's a bit rambling and repetitive but very interesting and lots of similarities make you smile despite the 350-year gap。 It's surprisingly easy to read for a 17th-century work and Defore has a lot of perspective， he was clearly well ahead of his time。 There are lots of similarities between the Great Plague of 1665 and the Covid pandemic of 2020-2021。 The book itself reads like non-fiction but is partly fictionalised from Defore's uncle's perspective。 It's a bit rambling and repetitive but very interesting and lots of similarities make you smile despite the 350-year gap。 It's surprisingly easy to read for a 17th-century work and Defore has a lot of perspective， he was clearly well ahead of his time。 。。。more

Mairead ，

This was a bit of a slog but I feel bad for holding a book from 1772 to my modern expectations。 Interesting to make comparisons though。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Journal of the Plague Year

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Journal of the Plague Year&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Journal of the Plague Year&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0