The Diary of Samuel Pepys Essay & Criticism

The Diary of Samuel Pepys Critical Overview

Since The Diary of Samuel Pepys was first released, all versions of the work have received mostly good reviews. Francis Jeffrey reviewed the work in 1825, saying, "We have a great indulgence, we confess, for the taste, or curiosity, or whatever it may be called, that gives its value to such publications." However, Jeffrey also noted that from a pure historical standpoint, he was "rather disappointed in finding so little that is curious or interesting," even though Pepys was in contact with the king and other notable people.

The next year, the English novelist Sir Walter Scott remarked in The Quarterly Review that "the public affairs alluded to in the course of these Memoirs are, of course, numerous and interesting," and that the information "cannot be but valuable." Scott also noted that unlike other diarists who intended on publishing their memoirs and falsified their accounts to make themselves look...
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