Bennet Diary

• Key techniques and main effect

  1 - tonal shifts between the mundane and powerful statements about society

  2 - oxymoron / juxtapositions that build his childlike pleasure / sense of nostalgia in his age

  3 - hyperbolic language

  4 - beautifully crafted writing reminding of his intellect
• Purpose?

  To publish - written in a series

  To inform / entertain - his fans

  To reflect on his life.
• Audience?

  Fans of Bennett

  Bennett himself

  Readers of literary non-fiction.
• Context?

  Bennett was a famous actor / author / playwright

  Also famous for his serious of diaries like this one

  Northern
• Voice?

  Beautifully crafted reflective voice

  Witty

  Cynical

  Satirical challenge of the society
• Mode

  Diary / memoir that is part of a series of diary's conducted by Alan, meant for publication.
• Alan Bennett moves through a private and public sphere in his diary entries, moving between seemingly mundane to powerful statements about world around him - much like the topics he deals with in his plays on English behaviours.
• 'Richard Griffiths dies... spared the unctuous telephone calls that always come from the tabloids on such occasions, 'we're sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings' 


  Simple emphatic declarative with straightforward voice juxtaposes his mimicry of the overly sensitive but fake voice of tabloids creating a powerful statement on society.