The origin of diary as a literary genre might be unknown to anyone, at least I don't know it now. If we broaden the scope, can the official history books of each dynasty be considered as the diaries written by the historians of that era? In other words, can the "Twenty-Four Histories", "The Book of Han", "The History of Ming" and others be regarded as thick diaries? Then what about the "Analects of Confucius", "Mencius", "Three Hundred Tang Poems" and so on? This way, probably any article with a date can be counted as a diary.
Taking expression of feelings as the function of a diary can solve two problems: what to write in a diary and why to keep a diary. What to write? This is the content problem of a diary. The official diaries record the major events happened to the emperor and the country on that day, while ordinary people usually record their own or their family's daily income and expenditure, farming, living, traveling, and mood, etc. Of course, these are not actual problems. The real question is how we record and to what extent? Usually, we won't deeply consider these questions because under normal circumstances, diaries are written for oneself to read and dispose of. We will express our feelings more freely and truthfully, venting personal joys and sorrows without restraint, especially when we know that sneaking a peek at someone else's diary is an illegal act. The pleasure of doing whatever one wants in a diary becomes even stronger. Diaries can contain expectations for new clothes, affection for someone admired, or even some thoughts and behaviors that are insufficient or inappropriate to share with others.
Another aspect of talking about what to write in a diary is the issue of to what extent. This has a direct relationship with why to keep a diary. Traditionally, there are two purposes for individuals to keep a diary: emotional release and self-reflection for future reference. However, we cannot exclude another two purposes: one is to leave a legacy for interpretation. The diaries of ancestors or accomplished predecessors have certain commemorative and research value for later generations. For example, most of our historical books are compiled based on the official and civilian diaries of previous dynasties. Simply put, if Li Shangyin had written a diary when he wrote "Jin Se" and it was passed down, we could roughly understand his life on that day and analyze whether he was expressing political aspirations or romantic emotions more clearly. The second purpose is to convey feelings. This may be similar to the previous points, but it does not affect me listing it separately as one of the purposes of keeping a diary. Under specific conditions, the function of conveying feelings through a diary is very important. For instance, during the Cultural Revolution, it might be precisely because of the revolutionary phrases in your diary that the Red Guards let you off, or it might be due to occasional complaints in your diary that got you into trouble. In today's world where "diary" has been completely replaced by "log" and "status updates", a diary can still help you convey your thoughts to your online friends, just like my friends now knowing my understanding of "diary".
There are really too many things I want to say about the topic of diary, but at this moment, many ideas are constantly crossing and arguing in my mind. I can't let go of any of them, so I can only write wherever my thoughts take me, letting those jumping emotions that haven't been written down temporarily hide in the darkness, or perhaps they can only remain silent forever, ignored by everyone.
This article is sourced from Novel Ranking. Related thematic articles: Diary