@richardcarter

Great story, and it's fascinating to see Darwin's diary next to the captain's.

"The same sea filled our decks so deep, that if another had followed it is not difficult to guess the result." Charles Darwin, Beagle Diary, 13 Jan 1833.

Dry laconic understatement here, beautiful in its rhythm and its trusting collusion with the reader. We can picture such a passage in Daniel Defoe or Laurence Sterne.

#CharlesDarwin #HMSBeagle #CapeHorn #laconism

@samuelpepys

"My aunt Kite is sick ready to die and sends for my uncle and me to come to take charge of things, and to be entrusted with the care of her daughter."

The loss of a family member, the acceptance of a major new responsibilty, all collapsed into a single straight sentence. If an entry describes matters of consequence, then brevity and simplicity will only ever add weight to it.

#Pepys #diary #style #laconism

@samuelpepys

In #laconism, #Pepys is an equal to any Roman writer.