What Darwin said about his memory

 One more note on Charles Darwin and then I promise to leave him alone for a while.

Here’s his description of his memory:

My memory is extensive, yet hazy; it suffices to make me cautious by vaguely telling me that I have observed or read something opposed to the conclusion which I am drawing, or on the other hand in favor of it; and after a time I can generally recollect where to search for my authority. So poor in one sense is my memory that I have never been able to remember for more than a few days a single date or a line of poetry.

That passage delights me. It reminds me of Montaigne’s many complaints against his awful memory, bumbling, incompetent in every way except that it somehow produced the encyclopedic Essays.

My own memory is bewildering. As I’ve gotten old, I’m tempted to blame my shocking lapses on age. But the truth is that I have always had shocking lapses. I forgot things constantly as a child and as a young man.

I’m telling this story because I think it’s suggestive to writers. If you were thinking about an autobiographical essay, where would you begin? You might be tempted to think that the only way to start is with a description of your parents, your roots. But a description of your own memory — with attention to its strengths, weaknesses and quirks — might be interesting.