The Diary of a Girl in France in 1821

This work gives an entry into the mind of a bright 13-year-old English girl during the first half of the 19th century. She was an enthusiastic naturalist and observer of nature during a time when such amusements were unusual. Mary entertained the readers with her lengthy isolated wanders around her beautiful home. She loved flowers, and she planted and tended with her own loving care fragrant flowers like rose de Meaux, clove pinks, and gillyflowers. Mary was content in her own company. The circle around her didn't understand her because she was shy and strangely indifferent to appearance and worldly advantages. The diary is full of vivid observations of the world around her. This diary is considered a picture poem, painted beautifully and with innocence. It shows little Mary's accuracy of observation and her attention to detail.