Abstract
Jay Taylor's Important revisionist work is based extensively on Chiang Kaishek's diary. A diary is a curious resource, allegedly straightforward and factfilled, but shaped by memory (if only of what happened hours before), but thereby notoriously slippery and potentially filled with half-truths or worse. When a public figure writes a diary knowing that it is almost certain to become public, he has complete discretion over what he wishes to include and over how he shapes the image of himself that he wants to leave for history. When the historian reads diary entries, three crucial questions face him/her. Is he reading a depiction of the person that reveals what indeed happened; what the writer perceived happened; what the diarist truly thought; and what his motives and reactions were? Or is she instead reading a depiction of a created persona (maybe several), drawn with personal motives and objectives to convey a particular desired image? The third question is hardest: since the diary of any significant historical actor holds both person and persona, how can the historian differentiate between them?
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
