Anne Clifford and Autobiographical Writing

Lady Anne Clifford (1590–1676) is one of most well-known writers of autobiography from the seventeenth century: she wrote diaries and memoirs that vary in form, with selections appearing in print as early as 1776. Her writing starts in the reign of Elizabeth I and ends in that of Charles II. She moved in aristocratic circles, and experienced many of the most important events of the 1600s, including the death of Elizabeth, James VI/I and his queen, the execution of Charles I, the turbulent civil wars of the period, and the restoration of the monarchy. In her writing she places her daily life, her joys, her struggles, and her accomplishments within these larger political events.