There is, however, a text that wants a more rigorous contextualization. Establishing motive is a risky business when there is no subject for interrogation. We should reverse our interpretive strategy: begin with Pepys's texts (plural), unravel their main interconnections, and only then reach tentative conclusions about the man. We need to resist, as much as possible, the temptation of contextualizing the diary with biographical detail because that detail is so often derived from the diary itself. Tracing the multiple textual transactions elided by the final manuscript allows for important insight into the diary's partiality. In modern times, his diary has achieved canonical status to the detriment of other texts scripted in unison with the famed Cambridge manuscript, now meticulously transcribed. More precisely, the article suggests that much closer attention needs to be paid to Pepys's textuality (not sexuality). The diary of Samuel Pepys The diary by which Pepys is chiefly known was kept between his 27th and 36th years. It is considered one of the most important diaries in the English language, offering a detailed account of critical historic events but also an insight into daily life in 17th century London. The following attempts a modest reconsideration of one of the most well-known early modern Englishmen, Samuel Pepys. Samuel Pepys kept a diary for almost ten years, from January 1660 to May 1669.
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