Sylvie Moret Petrini

Université de Lausanne

Managing Consciousness in Everyday Life: Diary Strategies Used by Young Men and Women in 18th-Century Switzerland

In early modern Switzerland, young people often used personal diaries as a means to address feelings of guilt. In Protestant areas, the socio-cultural framework and the promotion of diary-keeping by educators familiarized young people with this practice. Some gave their diaries a strong moral dimension, viewing them as genuine tools for self-improvement.

By studying around twenty diaries written by young men and women from the uppermiddle class(es) of Switzerland between 1720 and 1820, I aim to shed light on how they approached the question of conscience and the place they give to it. I will identify and analyze the mechanisms of self-observation and the methods (such as confessions, resolutions and self-sanctions) that young diarists used to curb moral failings. The possible impact of gender and age on these mechanisms will also be analyzed. While their diaries reveal the influence of Christian values and their strong desire to uphold them, they also highlight aspirations for a certain degree of emancipation or personal freedom, which will be examined.