tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9995718.post1707109121181049781..comments2024-03-24T11:31:02.882-04:00Comments on Olman's Fifty: 23. A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel DefoeOlmanFeelyushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17521657876810568251noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9995718.post-86150293209537987252013-08-31T10:35:32.525-04:002013-08-31T10:35:32.525-04:00The Python sketch implies a mediaeval setting and ...The Python sketch implies a mediaeval setting and is more likely a reference to the Black Death that killed off almost half the population of Europe between 1348 and 1350. Europe was in terrible shape then because the epidemic came after a time of bad harvests so most people were already in poor health when it struck.<br /><br />London of the 1660s plague was probably filthy by our standards but not quite Python territory. More Blackadder territory. Samuel Pepys is your man for descriptions of the plague and the ensuing Great Fire of London, which he really did witness, but reading him can be a bit of a slog because it's all mixed in with what he had for dinner and how he impressed somebody at the admiralty and got to grope his maid between courses or whatever.Kate M.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9995718.post-16826402965681027992013-08-29T16:42:37.761-04:002013-08-29T16:42:37.761-04:00Oh snap! I completely forgot to write about the P...Oh snap! I completely forgot to write about the PA angle of the book! Thanks for reminding me. Totally. I am going to need to add an addendum.<br /><br />And yes, great point on intros to classics. I think they are often written by academics who are trying to score points with other academics rather than introducing the book. In this case, the intro was actually fairly responsibly done with a good overview of the history and Defoe's life.OlmanFeelyushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17521657876810568251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9995718.post-50529005408141003822013-08-29T16:34:40.895-04:002013-08-29T16:34:40.895-04:00I enjoy old fiction about the Plague. It has a pos...I enjoy old fiction about the Plague. It has a post-apocalyptic feel, but it's not sci-fi -- it actually happened. I've never read this one, but I enjoyed Camus' The Plague quite a lot. <br /><br />A lot of introductions to classics seem to operate under the assumption that you're already familiar with the novel. It's silly, really, considering that it has to be your first time reading it at SOME point. Kelly Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01752857506190488860noreply@blogger.com