Seven Pillars of Wisdom · Chapter
Appendix 2 explained
A chronological log of Lawrence's movements and positions from 1917 to 1918, drawn from his skeleton diary, with notes on gaps, memory, and transliteration choices.
What happens
A chronological log of Lawrence's movements and positions from 1917 to 1918, drawn from his skeleton diary, with notes on gaps, memory, and transliteration choices.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this passage, the emotional and psychological peak occurs when Lawrence confronts his own fraudulent self-i…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Suffering and Endurance
The relentless travel and harsh conditions implied by the diary entries reflect the physical endurance required.
- War and Guerrilla Tactics
The movements trace the guerrilla campaign across the desert, including raids and strategic positioning.
Characters to notice
- T.E. Lawrence
Author and diarist; records his own movements and positions.
Key passages
“The following table of our movements or position-at-night is from my skeleton diary.”
This table of our nightly positions comes from my abbreviated diary.
Lawrence introduces the appendix as a record of his movements.
“Accident, preoccupations, and prudence were responsible for gaps.”
Gaps in the diary are due to chance, distractions, and caution.
Lawrence explains why some dates are missing.
“Arabic names are spelt anyhow, to prevent my appearing an adherent of one of the existing 'systems of transliteration.'”
I spell Arabic names inconsistently to avoid endorsing any particular transliteration system.
Lawrence deliberately avoids standardized spelling.
