Student

The unnamed student writes a novel-within-a-novel that comprises the bulk of the narrative. The student is the closest thing the novel has to a protagonist although he also functions as a form of narrator by introducing and ending various passages with his own comments on what has passed, frequently using the phrase “conclusion of the foregoing.”

The student is characterized as lazy and untalented for most of the novel. His lack of artistic talent is shown through the low-quality of many of the extracts from the manuscript of his novel. The student relies on his friend Brinsley to provide feedback about his novel rather than reading the work himself, leading to a feeling of surprise when he finally does read back over some of his writing and discovers that it is not very good.

The student lives with his uncle whilst completing his degree at the local college...