VI -Memories and Portraits

In “A College Magazine,” the writer shares a candid reflection on his boyhood to youth, marked by an incessant drive to master the craft of writing despite being labeled an idler. He describes a life immersed in words, carrying two books at all times—one for reading and one for writing. His days were filled with the quest to precisely capture the scenes around him through descriptive writing and poetry, not for any external purpose but as a self-imposed challenge to hone his skills in writing.

The narrative delves into the various methods he employed to cultivate his writing abilities. He recounts engaging in the practice of writing down conversations and dialogues from memory, an exercise that, while beneficial, only touched on the technical aspects of writing such as rhythm and word choice. More impactful, however, were his private endeavors to emulate the styles of authors he admired. By attempting to replicate the prose of literary figures such as Hazlitt, Lamb, Wordsworth, and many others, he embarked on a rigorous self-education in writing. Although he acknowledges the futility of these efforts in terms of immediate success, he credits them with providing him with a deeper understanding of language’s rhythm, construction, and the coordination of parts.

His relentless pursuit of mastery led him to experiment across various genres and styles, from epic poetry to tragedy and prose, constantly switching allegiances among different literary influences in an attempt to capture their essence. Through these varied experiments—whether it was imitating the elegance of Sir Thomas Browne or the lyricism of Keats—he encapsulates his growth as a writer. Each attempt, irrespective of its success, was a step toward achieving his ultimate goal of literary proficiency.

The author’s journey underscores a deep passion for writing and a commitment to self-improvement that transcended the mere desire for authorship. It was a quest for the art itself, driven by an internal wage to excel in writing. This chapter not only offers insight into the foundational years of a writer’s development but also serves as an homage to the power of perseverance and the relentless pursuit of one’s passions.