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EGODOCUMENTS IN THE
HISTORY OF EMOTIONS
Audrey Nallet
Jean-Loup Lecoeur
Johanna Scanlon
Caoimhe Burke
What is an egodocument?
historian Jacques Presser in the mid-1950s
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autobiographies, memories, diaries, personal
letters...
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“a text in which an author writes about his or
her own acts, thoughts and feelings”
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an “I” (or occasionally a “he” as in Jules Cesar’s
writings) continuously present
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literary aspects of the texts more present than in
official records
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status in the hierarchy of historical sources
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question of the relevance of these sources,
suspicion and distrust
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A controversial type of
historical source
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“the most dangerous of all sources” (Romein)
Traditional political historiography, emphasis on “great
men”
the more an author was close to the events, the more
faithful his account was
sources regarded as more reliable were egodocuments
by the main protagonists
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But...
19th century some historians warned that memoirs were
unreliable
truth has been twisted by authors and/or editors.
By the middle of the 20th century: regarded as
extremely unreliable
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Then,
only branch of History in which egodocuments retained
some status: History of ideas
19thc. German historian Wilhelm Dilthey and
successors, history is “especially a matter of the ongoing
development of the individual”
could be traced in egodocuments
Canon of texts consisting of authors from St Augustine
as early medieval precursor, through Rousseau, to
writers like Sartre
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However,
In recent years approach more and more
criticised for:
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Teleological nature
Lack of reflexion on the term “individuality”itself
Implicit eurocentrism
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1997 Michael Masuch: autobiographical writing as “a
cultural practice in which the text is a public exhibition
of the writer’s identity, the “self-identity”
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However, concept has to be thought of as “flexible, open
to multiple interpretations, and historically determined”
(Dekker)
(social-constructionist logic)
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The reconsideration of
egodocuments as a source
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Thanks to:
A new form of historiography, the History of
mentalities
1970, anthropologist and historian Alan Mcfarlane
studies diary of an English 17th-century minister
cautious reconstruction of his political, economic, social
and mental worlds
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And to Revival of narrative historiography in the mid1980s
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Narrative History
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(organized chronologically
focus on a single coherent story
descriptive rather than analytical
concerned with people rather than abstract
circumstances
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deals with the particular and specific rather than the
collective and statistical)
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How to study egodocuments ?
Problem : one egodocument could possibly not be
representative
This can be countered by the simultaneous study of
many texts, comparisons
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Even with broad sample, other dangers of
interpretation:
1980s Linda Pollock, 500 English and American diaries
from 16th to 19th c.
Drew conclusions from the fact that writers of the
diaries remained silent on certain matters. Parents
beating children, nowadays Western norms.
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Egodocuments are not standard
archival sources
“should not be only regarded as a source from which
facts can be extracted, but the function of such texts
within their social context should also be taken into
account” (Dekker)
Can be more or less “private”, letters can be read aloud
as a form of sociability, diaries can be intended to be
read by parents and used as an educational tool..
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New perspective
In the 1980s, new perspective on the Question of the
representativeness of a single egodocument
Branch of the History of mentalities : Micro-storia,
Carlo Ginzburg and other Italian historians.
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Study of an individual text is in itself valuable
Using ego documents in the
study of History of Emotions
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Terminology: what is an emotion?
Many words and ideas only have fuzzy equivalents in
the past, be careful about anachronism
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Presence/absence of reference to certain emotions
“Historians interested in the characteristics of particular
emotional communities need to consider which
emotions were most fundamental to their styles of
expression and sense of self”. (Rosenwein)
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Counting words, establish the frequencies of specific
terms: possible preoccupations, values, and norms.
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Grammar. Does the emotion act or is acted upon? Is it
associated with any adjectives or other parts of speechincluding cries or terms for body parts and gestures?
(Rosenwein)
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Why do these people write, writing motives?
A problematic source nonetheless
In 1949 Presser commissioned to write the history of the
Dutch Jews during the occupation
Used egodocuments, and interviews.
Faced recurrent problems of egodocuments and “oral
history”:
some people’s memories were so painful that they did
not want or can recall anything
some other people deliberately falsified their past
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Egodocuments and emotives
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Ego documents as privileged locus for emotives:
self-exploratory and self-altering effects.
Reddy (p166) writes that the love letters exchanged
between Jeanne-Marie Phlipon and her future husband
Jean-Marie Roland in 1777 are “packed with elegant,
pointed emotives whose effects on those who wrote or
spoke them is an issue historians must consider”.
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A product of Literacy
“ Literacy is the ability to use available symbol
systems that are fundamental to learning and
teaching – for the purposes of comprehending and
composing—for the purposes of making and
communicating meaning and knowledge” (Patricia
Stock)
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Ability to read and write
“Goody (1977) explains that writing transforms speech
by abstracting its components. Words in written texts
are more "thing-like" (Ong, 1982, p. 97). Their meaning
can be looked up in other written texts and do not
require direct ratification through interpersonal
situations. Written texts enable backward-scanning of
thought to make corrections and resolve
inconsistencies.” Self-analysis or criticism.
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PLAN OF THE PRESENTATION
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Saint Augustine, Confessions
Written in Latin between AD 397 and AD 398
Jean-Loup
Samuel Pepys’ Diary
England, 17th c.
Johanna Scanlon
Anne Franck’s Diary
Netherlands, 1940’s
Caoimhe Burke
Augustine of
Hippo
(354-430)
Confessions
(written in 397/398)
Introduction
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Plan of the presentation: replaced in history of
philosophy /theory of man and emotions/ emotional
world count / general emotional atmosphere / good
Christian schoolbook.
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Context: Christian mother and merchant father in
Thagate and Carthage. Manichean at first. Taught to be a
rethor. Ends his life as a priest in Africa (current Algeria)
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Book: avowal of sins and praising of God. Tells his life,
and adds philosophy and theology.
Augustine replaced in the history of
philosophy
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Neoplatonician influence (world of ideas /
paradise) scorn of material world.
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An ancestral Psychologist
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Many others subjects (immanent God, time,
praising God)…
A Theory of man and emotions
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Man can’t be thought without God (who
created all but sin)
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Man is free and sinful.
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“there are four basic emotions of the
mind: desire, joy, fear, sadness.” p134. What
about love?
Ego document: world count
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To consider cautiously (latin translation,
not exhaustive, and there can be allusions
and synonyms)
Fear x 81
Joy x 123
Sad + sorrow x 65
Desire x 137
Love x344 !!!!
General emotional atmosphere
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Parallelism man’s misery/God’s greatness
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Diabolization of sexuality and material world “I
came to Carthage, where a caldron of unholy loves was
seething and bubbling all around me. I was not in love
as yet, but I was in love with love” p31
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Opposition rationality/ passion
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Performative constitution of God
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God’s figure
The confessions: a good Christian schoolbook
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Feelings/moral/sins (God knows everything)
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Model of attitude and feelings
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God’s constitution through languages
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To sketch the Christian navigation (old-fashion
ideal type): cautious and fearful advance
between the sins reef, with confession to bail
sin out, and God’s love as a distant and
uncertain lighthouse…
Acknowlegements
- Thanks to the guy who invented ctrl+f
A reading of Samuel Pepys'
diaries
by Johanna Scanlon
Introduction
•
Born 23rd February 1633
• English Civil War
• 1650 - Attended Cambridge University
• 1655 - Married Elizabeth St. Michel
• 1660 - First Diary Entry
• The Victorian diary
• Why write a diary?
• Idea of the Individual
• Who was the intended audience?
• Private or public?
• Legacy?
Writing style
Accessible vocabulary
Matter-of-fact tone
Written in chronological order
Subject
Everyday London life
Professional life
Married life
Affairs
Historic events eg. The Great Plague in
London
Multi-lingual Code
Wrote about his affairs using a mixture of
Spanish, Italian and French
 "... and did tocar mi cosa con su mano [ touch
my thing with her hand] through my chemise
but yet so as to hazer me hazer la grande cosa "
[make me make the great thing (orgasm)] ".
 But now comes our trouble, I did begin to fear
that 'su marido' [her husband] might go to my
house to enquire pour elle [ask about her], and
there, trouvant my muger [find my wife] at
home, would not only think himself, but give my
femme[wife] occasion to think strange things.
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Examining Pepys code
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Why write in this multi-lingual code?
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To disguise his exact meaning?
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To better express his emotions?
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As a way of shaping his emotional experience? Selfshaping plays a large role in diary writing
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Did Pepys view this as a more personal way to re-live
these experiences through writing and re-reading?
The diary as an 'emotional refuge'
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The theory of the 'emotional refuge' as applicable to
diary keeping
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Pepys' diary as his own 'emotional refuge'
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Did writing his journal offer him relief?
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Pepys affairs written in code could have acted as a
confessional
The Great Plague 1665
Pepys' experience of The Plague in London
 Diary entry: September 30th 1665
 It was dark before I could get home, and so land
at Church-yard stairs, where, to my great trouble,
I met a dead corpse of the plague, in the narrow
ally just bringing down a little pair of stairs — but
I thank God I was not much disturbed at it.
However, I shall beware of being late abroad
again.
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The Great Plague 1665
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Pepy expresses his happiness
Diary Entry: September 30th 1665:
" I do end this month with the greatest content, and may
say that these last three months, for joy, health, and
profit, have been much the greatest that ever I received
in all my life in any twelve months almost in my life,
having nothing upon me but the consideration of the
sicklinesse of the season during this great plague to
mortify mee. For all which the Lord God be praised!"
'Emotional Communities'
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The theory of the 'emotional community' as applicable to
Pepys Diaries
'Emotional communities' during the Great Plague
Class as an emotional community
Pepys was as a member of the upper class - not in
contact with the plague as the lower classes were - his
lifestyle afforded him distance and relative safety from
infection
Emotionally experienced the plague differently - does
not empathise with the victims suffering
Class as an 'emotional communities
Conclusion
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The ego-document as a subjective but valuable
source
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The document's subjectivity - negative and positive
- subjectivity highlights emotions
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The diarys relevance for the study of the history
of emotions
The Manipulation of
Anne Frank’s Diary
‘In spite of everything, I still believe that
people are truly good at heart’
– Anne Frank, 1944
Extracts from the
Diary of Anne Frank
Published version of Anne Frank’s Diary
Can the Diary of Anne Frank be considered
as a reliable ego-document?
Max Page argues NO.
Diary has been through various manipulations since it’s original discovery
Adapted to suit the audience
• German translators omitted references of hatred for the Germans
• Otto Frank removed Anne’s references to sexual yearnings and hatred
for her mother
Therefore, can we read the Diary of Anne Frank as an ego-document, or as
a reliable historical source?
The Life and Death of a Document: Lessons from the Strange Career of The Diary of Anne Frank
Anne Frank’s Diary, even though it’s edited by various bodies of
copyright owners, was also edited by Anne Frank herself.
Initially, Anne wrote the diary strictly for herself.
In 1944, Gerrit Bolkstein, a Dutch government official in exile,
announced from a London radio station that after the war, he
hoped to collect eyewitness accounts of Dutch citizens oppressed
by the German occupation. He specifically mentioned letters and
diaries, which are considered ego-documents.
Upon hearing this announcement, Anne edited her own diary for
the purpose of public consumption. Therefore, between Anne and
Otto Frank’s editions to the diary, how much of it is the original
manuscript?
In relation to the history of
emotions …
The diary can be understood as an attempt by Anne to retain
some form of herself in the midst of warfare and Jewish
persecution
She still talks about day-to-day occurrences –
• Argues with her mother
• Hates her roommate, Mr. Pfeffer
• Expresses jealousy of Margot
These examples allow one to see that Anne wished to remain
herself through her diary, while living in the Annexe.
Bringing in Audrey’s arguments …
Nineteenth century historians warned that memoirs
were unreliable sources of history.
This is evident in Anne Frank’s Diary, due to the
editions made by Otto, and indeed, Anne Frank,
which edited the original affairs as they happened in
the original diary.
Teleology
Teleology showed a lack of reflection of the term
individuality.
This can be argued against in the case of Anne
Frank’s Diary, as she had a no-holds-back attitude
to the way in which she reported her day-to-day
life, particularly with regards to arguments with
her mother and the van Pels family.
Autobiography is self-identifying
Autobiography is flexible, and open to multiple
interpretations
- This is an example of social-constructivist logic.
This argument is extremely relevant in the case of
Anne Franks’ Diary, because the various editions
made to the original change the way the diary is
perceived by different readers.
One ego-document is not
representative of the historical period
as a whole.
Anne Frank’s Diary is not representative of the
views of all Jewish people at the time, or of the
period of World War II
The Diary is only Anne’s own views, which shows
why ego-documents cannot be representative of
historical periods by themselves, but need
historical fact to back them up.
CONCLUSION
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Augustine of Hippo:
listed 4 primary emotions (Fear, Joy,
Desire, Sadness). Absence of love whereas
present in the text (very valuable
emotion)
Emotions and moral aspects intertwined,
dangerous ones lead to sin
Link emotion/presence of God
The book teaches you how to feel about
God
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Samuel Pepys:
Diary as a way of self-shaping, selffashioning
Diary as an emotional refuge, confessional
Not really affected by Great Plague, classsystem as an emotional community
Different from what one of us would
probably have felt
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Anne Frank:
Importance of the question of privacy of
these documents
Can be altered, modified before being
presented to the public
To conclude, egodocuments really useful
to study emotions, full of emotions.
 Even though controversial sources, sided,
to be considered cautiously.
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