Thomas Mallon — A Book of Ones Own People and Their… [841]

I’m thinking about him now, and I’m thinking about Benson thinking about him. I’m thinking about so many of the ones who came between, too: Boswell up in Scotland, provoking Johnson; Laurel Lee being casually saintly in her hospital bed; Weston setting up his peppers in the sunlight; Ellen Weeton tramping about and hoping for work; Joshua Naples going out to the graveyard with his shovels. It seemed right to come here today and wonder about all of them. The book will soon be edited and printed and set out in the stores. Hard to believe! — Thomas Mallon, A Book of Ones Own People and Their…, 841

Note

The use of stringing together various memories and figures relevant to the narrator adds a sense of richness and depth, illustrating the connections between different literary lives and their influence on the narrator’s thoughts.