This article deals with four books by Matjaž Kmecl, which belong to the early period of his writing academic and student manuals (Mala literarna teorija / Little Literary Theory, Od pridige do kriminalke / From Sermon to Criminal Story, Rojstvo slovenskega romana / The Birth of the Slovenian Novel) and a collection of essays (Slovenska postna premišljevanja / Slovenian Lenten Meditations). I present them in a way that summarizes Kmecl’s innovations in literary-historical writing, while at the same time recreating the experiences of a student on the path of becoming a professional reader. The discussions on the rise of the Slovenian bourgeoisie and fictional storytelling in the second half of the 19th century, as well as the reflections based on personal experiences from the times of crisis just before the dissolution of the Yugoslav federation, are permeated by the same attitude from the author: a witty discovery of the natural primordiality and integrity of existence, a tireless gathering of evidence for perseverance, defiance, vitality and faithfulness in the face of despondency, fear, and inhibition. This attitude is rooted in Kmecl’s insightful analyses of the literary past and evolves into a sympathetic assessment of contemporary anomies. In the former, in particular, he recognizes the rich cultural capital that generations of creators have accumulated, despite weak political and economic power, and passed on to their contemporaries and successors with the hope for a self-confident survival of the Slovenian people. Prispevek obravnava štiri knjige Matjaža Kmecla, ki sodijo v zgodnje obdobje njegovega strokovnega in priročniškega pisanja (Mala literarna teorija, Od pridige do kriminalke, Rojstvo slovenskega romana) in zbirko esejev (Slovenska postna premišljevanja). Predstavljam jih tako, da povzemam Kmeclove novosti v literarnozgodovinskem pisanju in ob tem hkrati obnavljam doživljanje študentke na poti preobrazbe v strokovno bralko. Razprave o vzponu slovenskega meščanstva in proznega pripovedništva druge polovice 19. stoletja ter premišljevanja na podlagi osebnih izkušenj iz kriznih časov tik pred razpadom jugoslovanske federacije preveva enaka avtorjeva drža: duhovito odkrivanje elementarnosti in celovitosti življenja, neutrudno zbiranje dokazov za vztrajnost, kljubovalnost, vitalnost in zvestobo nasproti malodušju, strahu in nesproščenosti. Taka drža izvira iz Kmeclovih pronicljivih razčlenjevanj literarne preteklosti in se razvija v prizanesljivo ocenjevanje sodobnih anomij. Predvsem v prvi prepoznava bogat kulturni kapital, ki so ga kljub šibki politični in gospodarski moči nakopičile generacije ustvarjalcev ter ga z upanjem v samozavestni obstanek slovenstva predajale sodobnikom in naslednikom.