"A novel is like a gland pill - it nips off the cream of my hysterics and gets them running on track in a book where they belong instead of rioting all over my person"

In this quote, Dawn Powell utilizes a brilliant metaphor to describe the function and therapeutic nature of composing a book. By comparing a novel to a "gland pill", she recommends that writing serves as a type of medication or remedy for her psychological and psychological states. In medical terms, glandular tablets are meant to regulate physical functions; Powell implies that books perform a comparable role for her mind.

The phrase "it nips off the cream of my hysterics" suggests that the act of composing a novel enables her to carry her intense emotions-- her "hysterics"-- into a concentrated kind. Using "cream" indicates a procedure of distillation or refinement, suggesting that composing helps her extract the essence of her emotional experiences, just like cream is the rich, wanted portion separated from milk.

Additionally, Powell continues with "gets them operating on track in a book where they belong instead of rioting all over my person". Writing provides a structured outlet for her emotions, organizing them in a narrative form that changes chaotic feelings into something meaningful and manageable. In her view, novels are not simply creative ventures but essential structures which contain and direct her emotional energy, preventing it from overwhelming her personal life.

The imagery of emotions "rioting all over my person" evokes a sense of turmoil and disorder. Without the discipline of composing, her emotional state might be anarchic and uncontainable. Composing, therefore, becomes not only a type of expression but likewise a precise system for self-regulation.

Overall, Powell's metaphor highlights the dual function of novel composing as both an imaginative act and a therapeutic practice. Through composing, Powell discovers a method to put in control over her internal turmoil, forming it into art while maintaining individual equilibrium. In this way, the unique ends up being both the symptom and the remedy, encapsulating and resolving her emotional upheavals.