Article #376-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from A Journal of the Plague Year, by Daniel Defoe

  being Observations or Memorials<br />
  of the most remarkable occurrences,<br />
  as well public as_ private, which happened in London<br />
  during the last great visitation in 1665.<br />
   Written by a CITIZEN who continued<br />
  all the while in London_.<br />
  Never made publick before

  It was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among the<br />
  rest of my neighbours, heard in ordinary discourse that the<br />
  plague was returned again in Holland; for it had been very<br />
  violent there, and particularly at Amsterdam and Rotterdam, in<br />
  the year 1663, whither, they say, it was brought, some said from<br />
  Italy, others from the Levant, among some goods which were<br />
  brought home by their Turkey fleet; others said it was brought<br />
  from Candia; others from Cyprus. It mattered not from whence it<br />
  came; but all agreed it was come into Holland again.

  We had no such thing as printed newspapers in those days to<br />
  spread rumours and reports of things, and to improve them by the<br />
  invention of men, as I have lived to see practised since. But<br />
  such things as these were gathered from the letters of merchants<br />
  and others who corresponded abroad, and from them was handed<br />
  about by word of mouth only; so that things did not spread<br />
  instantly over the whole nation, as they do now. But it seems<br />
  that the Government had a true account of it, and several<br />
  councils were held about ways to prevent its coming over; but all<br />
  was kept very private. Hence it was that this rumour died off<br />
  again, and people began to forget it as a thing we were very<br />
  little concerned in, and that we hoped was not true; till the<br />
  latter end of November or the beginning of December 1664 when two<br />
  men, said to be Frenchmen, died of the plague in Long Acre, or<br />
  rather at the upper end of Drury Lane. The family they were in<br />
  endeavoured to conceal it as much as possible, but as it had<br />
  gotten some vent in the discourse of the neighbourhood, the<br />
  Secretaries of State got knowledge of it; and concerning<br />
  themselves to inquire about it, in order to be certain of the<br />
  truth, two physicians and a surgeon were ordered to go to the<br />
  house and make inspection. This they did; and finding evident<br />
  tokens of the sickness upon both the bodies that were dead, they<br />
  gave their opinions publicly that they died of the plague.<br />
  Whereupon it was given in to the parish clerk, and he also<br />
  returned them to the Hall; and it was printed in the weekly bill<br />
  of mortality in the usual manner, thus—

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from A Journal of the Plague Year (1722) by Daniel Defoe**

1. Context of the Work

A Journal of the Plague Year (1722) is a fictionalized account of the Great Plague of London (1665), written by Daniel Defoe—best known for Robinson Crusoe (1719). Though presented as a first-person memoir by an unnamed "Citizen" who remained in London during the outbreak, the book is a blend of historical record, eyewitness testimonies, and Defoe’s own imaginative reconstruction (Defoe was only five years old in 1665, so he relied on research, interviews, and official documents).

The work falls under historical fiction, plague literature, and early journalism, offering a vivid, almost documentary-style narrative of societal collapse, human behavior under crisis, and the inefficacy of early modern medicine and governance. It was written in the shadow of later plagues (e.g., the 1720 Marseille plague) and reflects Enlightenment-era concerns about public health, rumor, and state control.

2. Breakdown of the Excerpt

The passage introduces the origins of the plague’s arrival in London, emphasizing uncertainty, denial, and the slow spread of information in the 17th century. Below is a close reading of its key elements:

A. The Plague’s Foreign Origins & Early Rumors

"It was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among the rest of my neighbours, heard in ordinary discourse that the plague was returned again in Holland..."

Geopolitical Anxiety: The plague is framed as an external threat, arriving from Holland (Amsterdam/Rotterdam), which had suffered outbreaks in 1663. The narrator lists possible origins—Italy, the Levant (Turkey), Candia (Crete), Cyprus—highlighting how disease was tied to trade and colonial networks. This reflects xenophobic tendencies (blaming foreigners) and the globalized nature of epidemics even in the 17th century.
Uncertainty & Speculation: The repetition of "some said... others said..." underscores how rumors spread in the absence of reliable information. The narrator (and by extension, Defoe) critiques the unreliability of oral history and the human tendency to fill gaps with speculation.

B. The Slowness of Information in the Pre-Modern World

"We had no such thing as printed newspapers in those days to spread rumours and reports of things... so that things did not spread instantly over the whole nation, as they do now."

Media & Communication: Defoe contrasts the 17th century’s reliance on letters and word-of-mouth with the 18th century’s print culture (newspapers were becoming widespread by 1722). This is both a historical observation and a meta-commentary on how misinformation spreads differently across eras.
Government Secrecy: The line "the Government had a true account of it, and several councils were held... but all was kept very private" suggests state suppression of panic. The delay in public acknowledgment mirrors modern government responses to crises (e.g., COVID-19’s early stages).

C. The First Confirmed Cases & Official Denial

"till the latter end of November or the beginning of December 1664 when two men, said to be Frenchmen, died of the plague in Long Acre..."

Class & Concealment: The plague enters via foreign laborers ("Frenchmen"), and their landlord tries to hide their deaths, fearing quarantine or stigma. This reflects:
- Socioeconomic divisions (the poor and migrants were often blamed).
- The futility of secrecy—despite efforts to suppress the truth, rumors leak.
Medical Inspection & Bureaucracy:
- The physicians and surgeon’s inspection marks the official recognition of the plague.
- The weekly Bill of Mortality (a public record of deaths) becomes a tool of transparency but also fear. The dry, bureaucratic phrasing ("it was printed in the weekly bill... thus—") contrasts with the horror of the disease, emphasizing how systems fail to capture human suffering.

3. Key Themes in the Excerpt

The Spread of Fear vs. the Spread of Disease
- The plague is both a physical and psychological contagion. Rumors precede the actual outbreak, showing how panic is as infectious as the disease itself.
- Defoe critiques human denial—people ignore warnings until the threat is undeniable.
Government Incompetence & Secrecy
- The delayed response and suppression of information foreshadow the chaos to come. This theme resonates with modern pandemic mismanagement.
- The Bill of Mortality (a real historical document) becomes a symbol of failed accountability—numbers cannot convey the horror.
Xenophobia & Scapegoating
- The plague is linked to foreigners (Dutch, French, Italians, Turks), reflecting how crises exacerbate prejudice.
- The anonymous "Citizen" narrator (a middle-class Londoner) embodies the insular, suspicious mindset of the time.
The Fragility of Social Order
- The excerpt sets up the collapse of trust—neighbors hide deaths, the government withholds truth, and institutions fail to protect the public.

4. Literary Devices & Style

Pseudo-Journalistic Realism
- Defoe writes in the voice of an eyewitness, using dates, locations (Long Acre, Drury Lane), and official documents to create verisimilitude (the appearance of truth).
- The unadorned, factual prose mimics a diary or report, making the horror feel more immediate.
Irony & Foreshadowing
- The narrator’s casual tone ("it mattered not from whence it came") is ironic—the origin does matter, as it determines blame and response.
- The Bill of Mortality’s impersonal listing foreshadows the dehumanization of mass death.
Repetition & Oral Storytelling
- Phrases like "some said... others said..." mimic how rumors spread in pre-literate societies, reinforcing the unreliability of memory.
Juxtaposition of Public & Private
- The private concealment of deaths vs. the public recording in the Bill of Mortality highlights the tension between individual survival and collective truth.

5. Significance of the Passage

Historical Insight: The excerpt captures the early stages of a pandemic—denial, rumor, and delayed action—mirroring modern outbreaks (e.g., COVID-19, Ebola).
Literary Innovation: Defoe blurs fiction and history, pioneering the novelistic technique of realistic detail that would influence later writers (e.g., Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens).
Philosophical Questions:
- How do societies balance truth and panic in a crisis?
- Who is blamed in a disaster, and why?
- How does information (or misinformation) shape survival?

6. Connection to Broader Work

This opening sets the stage for the full horror of the plague as it ravages London:

Later sections describe mass graves, deserted streets, and moral breakdown.
The narrator’s stoic endurance contrasts with the chaos around him, raising questions about human resilience vs. societal collapse.
Defoe’s work remains one of the most influential plague narratives, shaping how we literarily and culturally process epidemics.

Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters

Defoe’s passage is not just about the plague—it’s about how humans respond to unseen threats. The slow burn of rumor, the failure of institutions, and the scapegoating of outsiders are timeless patterns in crises. By framing the story through a seemingly reliable but ultimately limited narrator, Defoe forces the reader to question what we choose to believe—and why we ignore warnings until it’s too late.

In an era of global pandemics and misinformation, A Journal of the Plague Year remains eerily relevant, a 300-year-old mirror to our own fears and failures.

Questions

Question 1

The narrator’s observation that “it mattered not from whence [the plague] came” primarily serves to:

A. Underscore the inevitability of the plague’s arrival, regardless of its geographic origin.
B. Highlight the collective psychological tendency to fixate on proximate causes while ignoring systemic vulnerabilities.
C. Critique the scientific ignorance of 17th-century Europeans regarding disease transmission.
D. Reflect the narrator’s personal detachment from the suffering of foreign populations.
E. Emphasize the futility of attempting to trace the origins of a pandemic in a globalized trade network.

Question 2

The passage’s description of how information about the plague spread—“gathered from the letters of merchants and others who corresponded abroad, and from them was handed about by word of mouth only”—is most effectively read as a:

A. Nostalgic lament for a simpler, pre-industrial era of communication.
B. Neutral historical account of the limitations of 17th-century media.
C. Subtle endorsement of oral traditions as more reliable than printed news.
D. Critique of how fragmented, unregulated information fosters both denial and eventual panic.
E. Satirical commentary on the superiority of modern journalism over early modern rumor-mongering.

Question 3

The government’s decision to keep its knowledge of the plague “very private” until forced to act can best be interpreted as an example of:

A. Pragmatic crisis management, prioritizing economic stability over public transparency.
B. The paradox of authority, where secrecy intended to prevent panic instead enables the crisis to worsen unseen.
C. A rational response to the unreliability of early reports, awaiting confirmation before acting.
D. Class-based neglect, as elites routinely withheld critical information from the lower classes.
E. The inherent conflict between individual liberties and collective security during epidemics.

Question 4

The phrase “it was printed in the weekly bill of mortality in the usual manner, thus—” functions within the passage as:

A. An abrupt shift to bureaucratic detachment, underscoring the dehumanizing effect of official records.
B. A narrative device to create suspense by withholding the exact wording of the bill.
C. A moment of ironic juxtaposition, where the mundane format of the bill contrasts with the gravity of its content.
D. Evidence of the narrator’s meticulous attention to documentary accuracy.
E. A critique of the Church’s role in recording deaths during the plague.

Question 5

The excerpt’s portrayal of the two Frenchmen’s deaths and the subsequent inspection most strongly evokes which of the following themes?

A. The inevitability of death as a great equalizer, transcending national and class boundaries.
B. The tension between private desperation (concealment) and public accountability (inspection).
C. The futility of medical science in the face of an incomprehensible disease.
D. The scapegoating of foreigners as a psychological coping mechanism during crises.
E. The breakdown of communal trust as neighbors turn against one another.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The line “it mattered not from whence it came” is not a statement about inevitability (A), scientific ignorance (C), or detachment (D). Instead, it reveals how the narrator and his community fixate on the immediate question of origin (Holland, Italy, the Levant) while ignoring the deeper systemic issues—trade routes, poor sanitation, lack of quarantine measures—that made London vulnerable. This aligns with psychological theories of risk perception, where people focus on proximate causes (e.g., "It came from China") rather than structural failures (e.g., global supply chains, healthcare gaps). Defoe subtly critiques this cognitive bias, which the passage later shows enables denial and delayed action.