It might seem like smart devices, personalized apps, and social media ushered us into an age of optimization. But Victorian-era diarists, writing about and responding to a time of rapid change, were already practicing a form of self-monitoring and performative self-improvement. This era of progress was equally an age of anxiety, however, and diaries also became records of failure. In her enlightening Aeon essay, historian Elena Mary examines this “golden age” of diary-keeping and draws astute parallels to our own heavily documented, anxiety-filled lives today.
Nineteenth-century diaries show a growing middle class engaged in a constant quest for self-mastery and productivity. With the invention of printed commercial diaries came a new way of looking at life and new organisational possibilities. The future could be mapped out, goal-oriented, solution-focused. The Victorians were great innovators, but progress was Janus-faced. For every leap forward, a renewed pressure to go further, and faster, to do better, be better.
More picks from Aeon
Orcas and Ourselves
“Sea pandas or sadistic killers? These enigmatic creatures invite contradictory labels that say far more about us than them.”
Compost Modernity!
“The vision of solarpunk: joining nature with technology in vibrantly inclusive ways to create a world that truly blooms.”
How to Become a Tree
“Many people today want to commit their remains to rejuvenating the planet. But are these green deaths just greenwashing?”
Hidden in Plain Sight
“Jewish children who were ‘hidden’ in Christian families during the Holocaust have much to teach us about memory and trauma.”
The Salacious Middle Ages
“Medieval people feared death by celibacy as much as venereal disease, and practiced complex sexual health regimens.”
Socrates Would Be Pleased
“With a class of college students and inmates, teaching philosophy in prison is a rowdy, honest and hopeful provocation.”
