The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Literature and Writing

This quotation connects imagination and writing in the mind of the author. Before Franklin can begin to write his narrative, he has to conjure up an imaginary audience for it. Not only does he have to come up with the audience, he's creating one that he thinks will be happy to hear about and be interested in his life. Then, the line works like a subliminal message, encouraging the reader to find the story "agreeable."

In this metatextual sentence, Franklin tells us about how he learned to write while using the writing process. While we've got Franklin as author writing in "prose," in the autobiographical form, we've also got Franklin as narrator telling us about a particular turn in the story. But this statement also reveals the kind of character Franklin is: a person who's practical, in working on the kind of writing that's useful to him, and a person who's modest, putting down the considerable writing abilities he's simultaneously showing to us.

Here, Franklin offers us a peek at the peer review workshop he had going on with his friend Collins. Franklin's not afraid here to admit his shortcomings – to take a critique – and also shows here his sense of fairness and his willingness to try and get better. As readers, we could sit in judgment here about the "manner" of his writing and whether, years later, Franklin has achieved the kind of "elegance" he describes here.

This reveals how Franklin thinks about reading and writing. He continually tries to internalize the material he comes across, taking it in so completely that he can regurgitate it in a new way, as "fully" and "suitably" as possible. He wants to be as articulate as the writers he admires.

Franklin doesn't just say what his favorite book is, he explains in a smart, literary way just why Bunyan's book works so well. What's more, he shows himself to be kind of ahead of his time by engaging in a sort of "rise of the novel" critique. This tells us what Franklin really values in his reading material, and also suggests what kinds of books might be found in his library. Something for us to consider, perhaps, is whether Franklin achieves in the Autobiography this balance between description and discussion that he so admires in Pilgrim's Progress.

It's always interesting when a writer refers to other stuff he's written. Here, though, Franklin's drawing our attention not to another published work of his, but to a private piece. This reinforces a sense of shared intimacy; he's allowing us to look in on a genre that's typically private.

Franklin shares his really excellent idea for a subscription library, and also shows us what it was like to be part of an intellectually centered club by the Junto. It's proof of the club members' generosity, and their commitment to scholarship, that they agree to donate their books to make a bigger collection, rather than each hoarding their individual, small stock of books. Franklin's use of "club[ed]" also reinforces the air of fellowship surrounding the library.

As Abel James councils in his letter to Franklin, he should be mindful of his audience, who will actually be deprived if he doesn't finish the book. Since they're such an impressionable group, they need to be provided with good models and examples so that they don't fall into bad ways. This is similar to the kind of advice Samuel Johnson gives in his Rambler No. 4, when he reminds authors of their responsibility to their impressionable young audiences and urges them to write suitable material.

Franklin describes how he composed one of his most lucrative pieces, Poor Richard's Almanac. We get a first-hand glimpse here at his practicality and ingenuity. People are already going to be interested in his product because of the calendar, so Franklin takes advantage of this kind of captive audience as a platform for his messages about "Industry," "Frugality," and "Virtue." He links hard work and income with goodness and morality for his readers.

Franklin the author here interrupts Franklin the character, interjecting his authorial organizational plan into his reminiscing as a character. He also calls what he's telling us a "Story," encouraging readers to think of his book as similar to another, fictional narrative, and as something to be enjoyed.