Most of the essays of Lamb are deeply personal and autobiographical.

Lamb uses the essay as

a vehicle of Self-revelation. He takes the reader into confidence and speaks about himself
without reserve. These essays, acquaint us with Lamb's likes and dislikes, his preferences and
aversions, his tastes and temperaments, his nature and dispositon, his medtitations and
reflections, his observations and comments, his reactions to persons, events, and things and
so on without openly taking himself as a subject. Lamb is forever speaking of himself. This
constant pre-occupation with himself and his use of the personal pronoun "I" is by some
described as his egotism. It is just that Lamb relates what he knows best. The past, like the
present, offers him an inexhaustible store house from which he freely draws for his material.
From the personal and autobiographical portions of the essays, it is possible to reconstruct the
inner life and no little of the outer life of Lamb.

"My Relations" is purely a personal essay in which Lamb speaks of some of his relations.
The essay begins with a statement that blessed is the man either of whose parents continues to
live even when he has himself grown old. Then comes the philosophical observation that a
man is forgotten soon after death. Let a man reflect upon the oblivion which will descend him
soon after he is dead. Lamb then introduces us to an aunt of his. He gives us a vivid and
interesting portrait of the woman. In the following lines: "I had an aunt, a dear and good one.
She was one whom single blessedness had soured to the world she often used to say, that I
was the only thing in it which she loved; and, when she thought I was quitting it, she grieved
over me with mother's tears. A partiality quite so exclusive my reason cannot altogether
approve. She was from morning till night poring over good books and devotional exercises.
Her favourite volumes were "Thomas a Kempis”, in Stan hope's translation, and a Roman
catholic prayer. Book, with the matins and complines regularly set down terms which I was at
that time too young to understand. She persisted in reading them, although admonished daily
concerning their papistical tendency; and went to church every sabbath, as a good protestant
should do. These were the only books she studied; Though, I think at one period of her life,
she told me, she had read with great satisfaction the "Adventures of an unfortunate young.
Noble man". 9 In these lines Lamb says, among his relations, he had an aunt, a dear and good
one. This aunt had never got married and, for that reason, she felt a bitterness towards people
in general. However, she was very fond of her nephew, Charles Lamb. From morning till
night, she used to pour over religious books. She was especially fond of reading. Imitation of
Christ (by Thomas a Kemp's) and a Roman catholic prayer book. The latter book she read,
even though she was a good protestant. She went to church every Sunday. In spite of her
bitterness towards people in general, she was a fine old Christian. She had a shrewd mind and
was very good at witty retorts. The only non-religious task that she performed was the
splitting of French beans and dropping them into china basin of water.