| dc.description.abstract | The literary merit of the diaries of Charles Ritchie is
apparent to anyone who reads them. A more critical assessment is
hindered, however, by the fact that there is as yet in Canada no
literary context in which the writings of any indigenous diarists may
be placed. In order to assess the literary merit of the diaries of
Charles Ritchie, therefore, this thesis examines them in relation to
the "conceptual perspectives" for English diary-writing as established
in Private Chronicles; A Study of English Diaries, by Robert A.
Fothergill of York University in Toronto. The introduction presents
the case for such an examination and outlines the history of the
English diary tradition and the scope of Fothergill's study. Chapter
One defines the criteria which Fothergill believes have been developed
for the diary genre by the "great" diarists themselves, and which are
based on the two complementary concepts of "book of the self" and
"imprint." These two concepts are then applied to the writings of
Charles Ritchie, and his use of "new forms" containing "new expressive
possibilities" is described. Various motives for diary-writing are
discussed in Chapter Two, in relation to the discernable motives of
Charles Ritchie. Chapters Three and Four divide the four volumes of
Ritchie's diary into two distinct parts, with Chapter Three discussing
the two earlier diaries as the work of a "Becoming" diarist, and
Chapter Four treating the two later volumes as the work of a diarist who has "Become". Ritchie's "autobiographical consciousness" is the
subject of Chapter Five, which asserts his claim to the title of
"serial autobiographer." Chapter Six looks at Ritchie’s contribution
to the "history of 'sensibility'" and shows how his particular
sensibility reflects not only the age in which he lives, but also his
Nova Scotian Canadian identity. This study concludes by determining
that Charles Ritchie is a "serial autobiographer" with creative
"sensibilities," who has found a "new form containing new expressive
possibilities." As such, he deserves an honoured place in the English
diary tradition and membership in that company of "great" diarists
which includes such distinguished peers as Samuel Pepys and Anais Nin. | |
