Writing
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months agoEnough Said by Alan Bennett review a man for all seasons
Repetition in Alan Bennett's diaries reveals layered meanings, especially regarding his reflections on the pandemic and personal experiences.
Before they become historical documents, diaries start out as ordinary ledgers, a frame-by-frame accounting of the moments and events of a person's days. With the help of time, scholarship, and critical interest, they become history in miniature, an up-close look at how a life was formed and shaped by the times the diarist lived in. One could read Randy Shilts's monumental 1987 history And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic to learn about the infuriating and chaotic early history of the crisis:
In the early episodes of each season of the popular reality dating show "Love Is Blind," the contestants are provided with notebooks in which to jot down first impressions of their potential matches, who remain hidden behind a screen until a couple agrees to get engaged. We have obtained a selection of these diaries and, for the first time ever, present an exclusive look inside their pages-revealing the fraught thought process behind falling in love with someone, sight unseen.