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Table of contents

 

Try It Yourself!

Test your critical skills with these exercises designed to explore how letters and diaries work as historical evidence.

Ask yourself these important questions:

What are the characteristics of personal texts?

Who are the "characters" and what is the "plot"?

How does the writer portray events, relationships, and self?

How does the writer use literary convention?

How can we widen the context of letters and diaries?

 

These exercises are best viewed using Internet Explorer 5.0 or above.

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History Matters home Visible Knowledge Project What Kind of Historical Source Are Letters and Diaries? Why Do Historians Value Letters and Diaries? What Are the Characteristics of Personal Texts? Who Are the "Characters" and What Is the "Plot"? How Does the Writer Portray Events, Relationships, and Self? How Does the Writer Use Literary Conventions? How Can We Widen the Context of Letters and Diaries? Model Interpretation (Letters) Model Interpretation (Diaries) Letters and Diaries Online Annotated Bibliography Download Entire Essay (Acrobat PDF) What Kind of Historical Source Are Letters and Diaries? Why Do Historians Value Letters and Diaries? What Are the Characteristics of Personal Texts? Who Are the "Characters" and What Is the "Plot"? How Does the Writer Portray Events, Relationships, and Self? How Does the Writer Portray Events, Relationships, and Self? How Does the Writer Use Literary Conventions? How Can We Widen the Context of Letters and Diaries? Model Interpretation (Letters) Model Interpretation (Diaries) Letters and Diaries Online Annotated Bibliography Go to Making Sense of Letters and Diaries Home Page Go to Making Sense of Evidence Browse Page