Commonplace Book Research

Commonplace Books (1651-1700)

1. Writers during this time period often include a dedication to a lord in order to demonstrate reverence to the social hierarchy of the time. A prime example of this is the dedication of John Aubrey's commonplace book from 1626-1697. Many include collections of poems, as well as updates on what has occured in each month of the year. For example, Aubrey details some of the occurences in his life during specific months. Aubrey also summarizes texts that he has read during the year, and provides his own interpretation. Other miscellanies that I parsed through include similar life updates and allusions to other historical figures of the time.

2. I found Interplay : A Kind of Commonplace Book in the tasks, which looks at the connections between texts in relation to their common meanings. In other words, Enright looks at the "interplays" between different literary texts that cover similar themes, such as identity crisis and family values. This is essentially a compilation of the different themes between seemingly different texts. I found this quite interesting because Enright takes a more modern approach to the concept of a commonplace books and even incorporates literary criticism into this compilation.

3. I found the miscellany of D. Bellamy's prose and poetry in the online format. Overall, this book contains never before published personal essays and the brainstorming aspect of the writing process. Through this search, I was able to gain an understanding of what the process of writing looked like during this time period. I also found religious elements were a common feature during this time period. I'm wondering about the historical significance of this.

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