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A Journal of the Plague Year
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A Journal of the Plague Year
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See moreThis work follows Daniel Defoe's fictional narrator as he traces the devastating progress of the plague through the streets of London. Here we see a city transformed - some of its streets suspiciously empty and some overwhelmingly full of the sounds and smells of human suffering.
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Description
In 1665, the plague swept through London, claiming over 97,000 lives. Daniel Defoe was just five at the time of the plague, but he later called on his own memories, as well as his writing experience, to create this vivid chronicle of the epidemic and its victims.
A Journal of the Plague Year (1722) follows Defoe's fictional narrator as he traces the devastating progress of the plague through the streets of London. Here we see a city transformed: some of its streets suspiciously empty, someโwith crosses on their doorsโoverwhelmingly full of the sounds and smells of human suffering. And every living citizen he meets has a horrifying story that demands to be heard.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe is praised for its powerful depiction of the last major bubonic plague outbreak in Britain, offering insights as relevant today as they were centuries ago. Reviews highlight its unsettling realism and vivid detailing of the pandemic's impact on London, evoking a sense of immediacy and poignancy with descriptions that make historical suffering palpable. Influencing later works, such as Camus's The Plague, the book remains a significant piece of plague literature, noted for its ability to educate and impact readers across time.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780140437850
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 29 May 2003
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Penguin Classics
Contributors:
- Introduction by Anthony Burgess
- Edited by Christopher Bristow
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 19.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 247g
Pages: 336
About the Author
Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) had a variety of careers including merchant, soldier, secret agent, and political pamphleteer. He wrote economic texts, history, biography, crime, and most famously fiction, including Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders and Roxana. Cynthia Wall is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Virginia.
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