A Journal of the Plague Year / Being Observations or Memorials of the Most Remarkable Occurrences, as Well Public as Private, Which Happened in London During the Last Great Visitation in 1665. Written by a Citizen Who Continued All the While in London

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

376

Title

A Journal of the Plague Year / Being Observations or Memorials of the Most Remarkable Occurrences, as Well Public as Private, Which Happened in London During the Last Great Visitation in 1665. Written by a Citizen Who Continued All the While in London

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Daniel Defoe's seminal historical novel chronicles the terrifying 1665 plague in London through the diary of a citizen who remains in the city. Blending factual weekly mortality bills with intimate domestic drama, the narrative captures the panic of mass flight, the desperation of the poor, and the eventual supernatural deliverance of the populace, offering a harrowing yet resilient portrait of human endurance against overwhelming catastrophe.

Summary up to 500 words

Daniel Defoe's *A Journal of the Plague Year* presents a harrowing first-person account of the Great Plague of 1665, written by a London citizen who remained in the city throughout the crisis. The narrative begins with early rumors of the disease returning from Holland, followed by the first confirmed deaths in Long Acre. As the infection spreads from St Giles's parish, the weekly bills of mortality reveal a terrifying escalation, with burial numbers rising from a usual 240 to over 2,700 in a single week. Defoe meticulously documents the social fracture caused by the epidemic: the wealthy flee to the countryside in a chaotic exodus, leaving the poor behind to face starvation and despair. He describes the collusion of neighbors to hide the sick and dead, the government's struggle to enforce quarantines, and the desperate debates among the impoverished regarding whether to stay or flee, often finding themselves trapped between fear and poverty. Amidst the horror, Defoe observes the resilience of the poor and the eventual, miraculous abatement of the fever in the summer. The text concludes with a profound sense of gratitude for divine deliverance, contrasting the previous terror with a sudden return to health. Defoe notes that while many expressed immediate thankfulness, some survivors quickly returned to their unthankful ways. Through meticulous observation of mortality data and personal anecdotes, Defoe creates a timeless document of fear, faith, and survival, acknowledging that human helplessness was ultimately overcome by a supernatural intervention that spared the city from total destruction.

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4.2/5

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Categories

• History
• Fiction