Monday, October 24, 2011
The Journal Writing
Though this is probably going to be contested greatly, I wanted to comment on the purpose of these journal writings. Was Dorothy that arrogant to believe that people would actually care to read about every detailed part of her everyday life or was it that someone else decided to take her personal writings and commercialize them? The reason why I comment on such is because, honestly, if I had a journal, I would not want people reading it, especially after I pass away. Since the journals were published after her death (some forty years), I can only assume that she fell victim to commercialism, by the hands of William Knight, and did not necessarily desire to publish her personal works. However, the style in which she wrote the journals does argue her arrogance. It seems like it was some sort of 19th century form of Big Brother, The Kardashians, or some other vicarious form of entertainment, in which all of her actions were noted and revealed for the public after the publishing of her journals. Her unorthodox lifestyle and behaviors seemed to be at the forefront of her works, along with the interesting relations to nature throughout her writings. It seems like she wanted to display her awkwardness in her writings so that others can acknowledge her by other means, rather than by being an accused French spy, and, possibly, to allow others to observe some form of "brilliance" that she might have found in a life engulfed by nature and solitude. Other than that, I like the writings. Good stuff.
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Warren brings up some interesting points. What was Dorothy's rationale for the journal? I will actually dodge that question because I have no idea, but I think it's interesting the work under the assumption that she did not believe it would be published. If that is the case, then we have a glimpse into the mind of what seems to be a true environmentalist. All other things equal, it seems as though Dorothy would avoid society altogether and spend her time wandering. Here I draw a connection to WW's "I wandered lonely as a cloud." Initially, 'wandering lonely' seems to be a sad state of affairs. When contextualized by Dorothy's writing, however, it seems as though loneliness is the preferred state. Like her melancholy, WW would rather be naturally lonely than artificially (or perhaps industrially) stimulated.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question about Dorothy's reasoning for writing a journal, I would point to the first entry. Dorothy indicates that she is writing while her brother William is gone off to Yorkshire. She misses him dearly, so much so that she let out a "flood of tears" upon his departure. She indicates that she wants William to read it upon his return, presumably so he can know all about her daily life while he was absent.
ReplyDeleteNow, I see this as presenting a different question. Why does she think that William will actually care about the minutia of her daily life? (this also connects with Warren's Big Brother/the Kardashians comment) We get whole entries like "Went often to spread the linen which was bleaching--a rainy day & very wet night." Thanks for sharing, Dorothy.