Vassar College Digital Window @ Vassar Senior Capstone Projects 2017 An exploration of the diary as a medium: during the 17th and 18th centuries Samuel Stephen Every Vassar College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalwindow.vassar.edu/senior_capstone Recommended Citation Every, Samuel Stephen, "An exploration of the diary as a medium: during the 17th and 18th centuries" (2017). Senior Capstone Projects. 688. https://digitalwindow.vassar.edu/senior_capstone/688 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Window @ Vassar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of Digital Window @ Vassar. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Every|1 AN EXPLORATION OF THE DIARY AS A MEDIUM: DURING THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES BY SAMUEL STEPHEN EVERY CLASS OF 2017 IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHALOR OF ARTS IN MEDIA STUDIES AT VASSAR COLLEGE Every|2 I * * * What can a diary teLL us about its author? How does the diary as a medium fit within manuscript cuLture? Diary writing, beLongs to manuscript cuLture because, aLthough there may be eXceptions, it is mainLy a hand written form. The diary as a medium of communication is a versatiLe form: it functions through many different means, to different ends. HistoricaLLy, diary writing has a murky start, and it is hard to pin down with any confidence, eXactLy when and where the diary came into being. It shares many of the characteristics of ship logs, house logs, journaLs and commonpLace books. These forms aLL obscure the inception of the diary even further.