Question- Discuss autobiographical element in the essays of Lamb.

Or

To which class - Formal or Personal - do the essays of Lamp belong? Mention the chief characteristics of that class ofessays.

Or

"Lamb is forever speaking about himself". Do you agree?

Ans-

Lamb's essays are considered to be the most autobiographical in English literature. Lamb belongs to the intimate and self-revealing essayists of whom Montaigue is the original. To him, as with Montaigue, the desire of self-revelation is, below all more superficial tendencies, the real motive in writing at all. Montaigue once said of him in his book, "I myself am the subject of my book". This can be said of Lamb and his Essays of Elia that the real subject-matter of the essays of Elia is Lamb himself. Cazamian observes, "without openly taking himself as a subject, without touching upon any aspect of his own experience but to transform it, Lamb is forever speaking of himself" Lamb himself once wrote to his publisher John Taylor, "The essay wants no preface, a preface is nothing but a talk with the readers and do nothing else." Almost all his essays have some flashes of his personal life. In words of Walter Pater, "with him, as Montaigue, the desire of self-portraiture is below all mere superficial tendencies the real motive in writing at all, desire closely connected wth intimacy, that modern subjectivity which may be called the Montaiguesque element in literature. In his each and every essay we feel the vein of subjectivity."

The great charm of Lamb's essays lies in the clearness with which they reveal his habits, opinions and history, with the familiarity with which they acquaint us with the persons and places which have had any relation to or impression on Lamb's life. In most of his essays he talks to the reader about himself, about his life with his sister, about his love affair with Ann Simmons. In some essays he reveals the nature and behaviour of his friends and relations. Others replete with references to his personal likes and dislikes, beliefs and faiths and affection and sympathies. Some have his reflections on the places of his childhood, his work places, working conditions, his holiday walks. He does not hesitate to talk to his readers about his favourite writers. about the theatre and sometimes about his secrets.

In his essays Lamb has left an assortment of episodes, which connected together, provide a fair account of greater part of his life. The Sea South house is full of references of his service-period at the office of East India company. It begins with building and then goes on presenting various characters one by one. The clerks, the cashier, the accountant all are vivified out of past memories. The figures that he has represented are actual persons whom Lamb worked with. Christ Hospital' is the recollection of his childhood when he was a student there. he acquaints the reader with his school mates, friends, relatives and teachers. Lamb in the essay speaks in the assumed character of Coleridge

Lamb shares with his readers the pleasant and humourous incident of keeping an ass hidden of the roof of the school. Dream children gives a vivid account of Lamb's early childhood days. The essay tells us much about of Lamb's grandmother Field, his brother John Lamb, his unsuccessful love - affair with Alice Berturm (whose real name name was Ann Simmons). The title itself is indicative or the autobiographical fact that Lamb was a bachelor and had no children. He could only dream of them.

In his essay entitled 'A Bachelor's Complaint of the Behaviour of married people; Lamb expresses a vivid account of the insults and humiliation which he experienced with the married people. In his essay titled 'Poor Relations', Lamb gives two anecdotes-one that of his old school fellow Favell who fled from the university because his sensitive mind could not bear that his father should parade his poverty be setting in oxford itself and the other that of the Billet who was insulted by Lamb's aunt. As regards autobiographical element in old China, Lamb in has made a successful attempt to defend poverty and he conveys this idea through his cousin Bridget who in actuality is Lamb's sister Mary Lamb. His friendships are recorded in "Oxford in the Vacation, Christ Hospital, Two Races of Men". His aunt appears in "My Relations" which also contains a full length portrait of his brother John Lamb. His tastes and pleasures are recorded in Roast Pig and Imperfect Sympathies. The Race of men contains the list of books in his personal collection. His love of theatre can be noticed in My first play and Acting of Manden.

It has been the practice of the literary artists particularly of the essayists to blend the facts with fancy. Charles knows this unique art of blending of fact with fiction." The ease with which he blended fact with fancy is unique in English literature. The two elements are woven together so closely that even where the matter in hand seems to be drawn entirely from his own experience there is always a suspicion that imagination has lent her aid to supply some picturesque touch and heighten the effect to the story."

Ainger expressed that a large part of Lamb's life history is contained in his essays and with the addition of few names and dates a full biography may be developed from them: On the subject Lamb's self-revelation in his essays Elton has very aptly observed, "Lamb does not weary his readers with his troubles and reminiscences; but in many of them he has confided to the world and to the world only like the poets of the time; he is under the necessity of making such confidences. We know as much of him from his lips as from those of Wordsworth and Byron. They must record their hidden histories at any cost, and in the impulse to do this, which came from Rousseass, Lamb who is so unlike Rousseass in all other ways fully, participates."

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