My mother’s diaries
My mother was a great diarist. She religiously wrote in her diary every day from around 1968, when my parents moved to Norfolk, until 2005, when she died. There are many volumes, all of which my niece (mother’s American granddaughter) liberated on Mother’s death. I was glad they weren’t just thrown away, but goodness knows what my niece has done with them. I imagine they’re in a spare drawer (or ten!)
Mind you, I don’t think any of the volumes are in line for the Pullitzer prize. Most entries were one-liners; such riveting comments as, “Went shopping today. Bought a piece of mutton for dinner. The price has gone up by 1/2d.” Or, “Won the raffle at WI (Women’s Institute) today.” Or even, “It’s been raining all day. Couldn’t get the washing out.”
I suppose, in due course, they might provide a brief comment on social history, but at the moment it has to be admitted that they are exceedingly boring.
All of this makes me wonder about blogging. Would my mother have been a blogger, if she had ever learned how to use a computer? If so, would she have written more (there being more space than in a conventional diary) and would it have been more interesting? And is blogging the best way to record social history? And finally, what will happen to all these billions of blogs….?
What do you think?