Myself When Young： Confessions

Waugh, Alec, 1898-1981Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 382K words
Chapters: 39

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Myself When Young: Confessions by Alec WaughAuthor: Waugh, Alec, 1898-1981,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 6, 2019

Editor's review

This is an autobiographical work by the British writer Alec Waugh, whose subtitle “Confessions” signals its candid, self-narrated tone. The book looks back on the author's early years and belongs to the memoir tradition in English literature; it was organized by Project Gutenberg as a free e-book. Its value lies in presenting, from a personal perspective, the atmosphere of life, educational experiences, and social relationships in early twentieth-century British upper-middle-class society, offering auxiliary insight into the cultural fashions and literary circles of that era. The prose is mainly narrative and leisurely in pace, suitable for readers who enjoy biography and memoir to savor slowly. Note that the candid accounts of personal emotional and social life carry the conceptual coloring of a particular era, which today's readers should understand in historical context. It is better read as literary historical material and a portrait of a person than as a systematic historical work.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy biographies and memoirs of British writers
Readers interested in early twentieth-century British social life
Learners studying English literary history who want to understand a writer's background
Readers accustomed to English prose who are willing to read personal narrative slowly

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a complete chronological biography or a rigorous historical work
Novel readers who prefer fast-paced plots and strong storytelling
Readers uninterested in personal emotional accounts and old-era attitudes

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to understand the author's family and upbringing, then proceed in order.
Keep track of character relationships as you read; memoirs contain dense names and social circles.
Read with the historical background of early twentieth-century Britain in mind to understand the era's attitudes.
Do not rush; read one or two chapters at a time and appreciate the tone of the prose narration.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a complete biography or fragmentary reminiscence?

Judging from the subtitle “Confessions” and the title “Myself When Young,” it is the author's self-narrative recollection of his early years, focusing on personal experience and feeling rather than a chronological biography covering a whole life. It is best read as a memoir rather than a compilation of historical sources.

Can I read it without knowing the author?

Yes. The book recounts personal growth and social experience in the first person and does not depend on prior knowledge. For more background, you may consult general introductions to early twentieth-century British writers in English literary history before or after reading.

What should I note when reading the e-book edition?

This is a free e-book provided by Project Gutenberg, organized from public-domain text. The layout is mainly plain text; using reading software with adjustable font size is recommended, and note that different editions may vary in paragraphing and punctuation.

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About the author

Waugh, Alec, 1898-1981 Author

Alec Waugh (1898–1981) was a British novelist. As only limited public information is available here, details of his life are not recorded in the existing materials. His works span novels, memoirs, and accounts of school life. His representative work The Loom of Youth is set against the background of boarding-school life and attracted attention upon publication; Roland Whately: A Novel displays his skill in novelistic narrative; The Prisoners of Mainz draws on wartime experience; Myself When Young: Confessions is a work of reminiscence; and Public School Life: Boys, Parents, Masters directly examines English public-school education. Overall, his writing often draws on personal experience and the realities of British society and education, with a plain style and a certain autobiographical quality and value as a record of its time.