The diary as literary genre

Anne's intimate world of thoughts and feelings

A diary is a collection of daily or regular entries of individual experiences and thoughts. Most diary entries are provided with a date, sometimes also with a heading. Private diaries are often not written with the aim of publication and represent an authentic personal testimony. However, there is also diary literature written with the aim of publication.

Diary writing has a long historical tradition dating back to antiquity. While in ancient records mainly everyday information, such as the weather and market prices, is recorded, from the Renaissance onwards a much more subjective recording of experiences begins.

Both private diaries and fictional diary literature are characterized by a very subjective styl...