Abstract
This essay reads Samuel Pepys’ account of the 1666 fire in London as a test case for the study of ‘literary’ texts in the history of emotions and of disasters. Journals and diaries are invaluable evidence for the history of trauma and disaster, but as self-conscious texts written for an uncertain future their testimony is not always straightforward. Pepys interweaves a mixture of private and public emotions in his diary, which testifies to the important mediating role of language in the history of emotions. He also tracks his own emotional state after the trauma of the fire: one of the reasons his account remains so compelling for modern readers. Pepys’ account of the fire is paradoxical as a trauma narrative: it is deeply personal and yet offers invaluable insights into the behaviour of the people of London as they confront the destruction of their city.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsAuthor information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Trigg, S. (2016). Samuel Pepys and the Great Fire of London: Trauma and Emotion, Private and Public. In: Spinks, J., Zika, C. (eds) Disaster, Death and the Emotions in the Shadow of the Apocalypse, 1400–1700. Palgrave Studies in the History of Emotions. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-44271-0_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-44271-0_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-44270-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-44271-0
eBook Packages: HistoryHistory (R0)