Plague of London

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Plague of London
The plague of London claimed many lives of the citizens of England. It took place in 1665 killing over 100,000 people. Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year covers the various events during the time in great detail. Similarly, Samuel Pepys in his book The Shorter Pepys explored the bubonic plague in England. The three sources are useful in giving information about the time of the epidemic in London for the research.
Samuel Pepys, the author of the first source, was a navy administrator of England during the plague of London. Pepys wrote down all the days’ occurrences in his diary (Latham 12). His writing succeeds in informing the audience about the state during the plague of London, but it claims a limited treatment since the log only captures what Pepys observed. The source covers the whole extent of the happenings during the plague and does not exclude any material since it is the original work of the author.
Daniel Defoe was an English journalist and a spy. He wrote about the plague based on the journals of his uncle, Henry Foe and it was published by a reputable publisher E. Nutt (Defoe 1). Defoe went to great lengths in fulfilling his purpose of achieving an effect of verisimilitude. His work exhaustively identified the specific households and streets where events occurred as well as casualty figures. The novel covered most of the events that transpired during the plague but not all since the author was still young during the epidemic.

The book is described as a historical novel and has a poor presentation for the research due to its fiction.
The author of the third source used primary sources such as journals and diaries recorded during the plague, but his research is unverified. The work fulfills its purpose of shedding light about the effects of the plague of London. The work claims to be a comprehensive treatment covering the vast of the plague period but in summary details. The source does not include specific examples of the events that transpired in the villages. The book was intended for history researchers, and its presentation is suitable for giving information about the London plague in the research.
In conclusion, the three sources are useful in giving information about the historical event. Samuel Pepys’ diary gives first-hand information about the plague. Similarly, Daniel Defoe’s book was an essential source of knowledge gained from the primary source. However, the textbook is a secondary source but covers the entire period of the epidemic in England.

Works Cited
Defoe, Daniel. “1722.” A Journal of the Plague Year (1989).
Latham, Robert, ed. The Shorter Pepys. Univ of California Press, 1985.