The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
Ralph Thoresby the Diarist: The Late Seventeenth-Century Pious Diary and its Demise
Secondary Title (i.e. Proceedings Title): Periodical Title:Seventeenth Century [Great Britain] Publication Type:Journal Article Authors:Findlay,ElspethEditors: Publisher: Place of Publication: Publication Date:2002 Alternate Date (i.e. Conference Date): Volume:17 Issue:1 Start Page:108 End Page:130 Abstract:The diary kept in the 1690's by Ralph Thoresby (1658-1725), a Presbyterian from a Leeds merchant family, reflects characteristics of the pious diary as a distinct literary genre. Thoresby, like other Presbyterians in the north of England, kept such a diary as a religious duty. Accordingly, he limited his observations to those experiences and events that served as evidence of God's grace. Large portions of the diary also take the form of private prayer. By the early 1700's, the pious diary had almost disappeared as a literary genre, in part because of the decline of Presbyterianism, which Thoresby himself abandoned in favor of conformity. Also undermining the pious diary were new sensibilities that presumed a reader interested in identifying with the narrator as a character rather than as a spiritual example. Descriptors/Keywords: ISBN:0268-117X URL:
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