Well, I have come to the end of the massive first collection of his letters. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this format. Having followed his letters from the age of 6 until 33, I feel as though I almost know the man. Admitedly he has not written everything about himself down, and certainly some areas (romantic) of his life are left out. But I watched him grow from a boy to a man, witnessed changes in character, ideas and ideals, morals and ethics. I saw the hubris of youth give way to the humility of adulthood. I followed his rather logical conversion to Christianity. I discovered his likes and dislikes in literature. I saw the things that influenced him as a writer. There were times I couldn't spend enough time with him, and others when I was bored with his company. But in the end, I feel as though I have made a friend.
There are two more volumes of letters, of equal length. I own the second volume, but do not think I will start it right away. I think I need a bit of a break and variety. I realized this morning how influenced I currently am by him, as I found myself wondering how I might get my hands on some 17th century writings...
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