Some Account of the Life of the Late Gilbert Earle, Written by Himself

Some Account Of The Life Of The Late Gilbert Earle, Written By Himself by Gilbert Earle. This is a first-person memoir in which Gilbert Earle recounts his youth, his passionate admiration for Eleanor, the consequences of a secret relationship, and the moral struggles surrounding marriage, fidelity, and guilt. Spanning his life from youthful meetings in social circles, through a marriage with Eleanor, her illness and death, and the subsequent years in India, the text also presents his reflections on his family—parents and siblings—and the changes in English society upon his return to England after many years abroad. Interwoven are meditations on love, time, memory, religious faith, poverty, generosity toward the poor, and the transience of worldly happiness. The work comprises a series of fragments (I–XII) narrated in the first person, and includes a prefatory editorial perspective on the authenticity and purpose of the biographical material.