Question

The author Virginia Woolf once said that the "chief delight" of Pepys's diary might be its revelation of "those very weaknesses and idiosyncrasies which in our own case we would die rather than reveal." What do you think Woolf meant? What effect do Pepys's "weaknesses" have on you as you read the diary?

Answer 1

Answer: To a great extent, the enticing part is the feeling that one is looking at something private.

Explanation:

A greater part of the allure of the diary is the feeling that you are gazing at something private, something that you that wasn't meant to be seen. Pepys would have not included details of his excessive meal alongside careless depiction of how the rest of London is burning if he had realized earlier how widely his diary would be read. Thus, reading it is as fun as hearing an interesting secret always is with the added advantage that the victim is dead a long time ago and cannot be accused in return or be inflicted with pain.