Analysis of Diaries as Historical Documents in Contemporary Literature

An essay by Julian Castronovo examines the concept of 'main character syndrome' through analysis of two recently published diaries: George Templeton Strong's Civil War-era journals and Kamala Harris's memoir '107 Days.' The piece explores how individuals experience historical events, contrasting Strong's mundane observations during the American Civil War with Harris's account of her 2024 presidential campaign. Published in The Paris Review's blog in March 2026, the article considers how diary writing attempts to impose narrative order on reality and questions whether contemporary life follows novelistic conventions.