Literary Essays
HISTORY
The essay as a literary form did not emerge until the late 1500’s. The French
philosopher, Montaigne, wrote some short pieces in which he expressed his
personal view and feelings on a variety of subjects. He wrote for a very personal
reason – to be remembered by his friends after his death. These literary efforts
or attempts were published in a book he titled Essais, for the French word
“attempts”. Montaigne attempted to write in a new and different way and his
essays were interesting and entertaining. They were a success. In England, a
few years later another philosopher, Francis Bacon, an admirer of Montaigne,
borrowed his idea and published a collection of writings that he called Essays.
His writing was more scholarly in style, serious in tone and the style was more
formal than that of Montaigne. His essays were also popular and his format was
later imitated by great English essayists like Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Dr.
Samuel Johnson, and Charles Lamb to name a few.
ELEMENTS
An essay is generally a short piece of writing about a SUBJECT. This SUBJECT
is usually treated in a limited way. It is not the intention of the writer to look at his
subject from all angles, usually just one. Unlike a short story, an essay does not
have characters , plot, etc. It should be interesting a have a definite PURPOSE.
An essay should have a THEME which is different from the subject. The
SUBJECT is what the essay is about, but the THEME is the point or message the
writer wishes to make about the subject.
An essay should have a PURPOSE:
1. to inform
2. to entertain
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3. to lobby for support for a cause or rouse others to action
4. to communicate an experience
5. to present a view on a topic of public interest.
As essay has a particular TONE, the writer’s attitude towards his subject. The
writer’s tone is determined by the kinds of words and sentences used. A tone
may be admiring, appreciative, arrogant, bitter, cynical, angry, indignant, ironic,
reverent, satirical, indifferent, comical, compassionate, serious, philosophical,
joyful, etc.
There should be a PLAN for the essay. The details and points should be given in
some kind of logical order. The writer may decide to arrange his points in a
variety a ways.
1. chronological order
2. least important to most important (climatic)
3. cause and effect
4. comparison and contrast
5. pro and con
6. examples
7. etc
Personal or informal essays reveal the personality of the writer. The writer
shares his thoughts, feelings and emotions with the reader. His approach is very
personal and he looks at the subject from his point of view. Personality will affect
the writing. In fact, you can judge the kind of person a writer is by what he writes,
how he writes about it, and why he writes about it.
An essay is written for an AUDIENCE. In fact, because writing (when published)
is a permanent expression, an essay has a present and future audience.
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AUDIENCE certainly affects PURPOSE – why an essay is written. AUDIENCE
also affects STYLE and possibly TONE.
An essay may be humorous or satirical. If the SUBJECT is unusually, odd or
out-of-the-ordinary, it is suitable for humour. On the other hand, the essayist
may take a serious subject and exaggerate it or ridicule it. – so that, on the
surface, it is a laughing matter; yet, beneath the surface there may be serious
concern. The humorous writing is called satire.
An essay has a particular STYLE of writing. STYLE is not easy to define
because it is a combination of many things. In large part, style has to do with the
way the writer uses language. The writer’s diction may be informal, colloquial,
formal, or old-fashioned. The writer may use long winded sentences, whereas
another may use short, more readable sentences. A writer may write in
paragraph of a page or more in length; another in paragraphs a sentence or two
long. Some writers will sprinkle their writing with non-sentences.
TYPES OF ESSAYS
There are generally two types of essays: FORMAL and INFORMAL essays.
FORMAL ESSAYS are generally informative, analytical or philosophical. They
depend heavily on facts, formal arguments, rely on reasons rather than emotion,
have serious tone and are written in the third person. Formal essays are often of
two main types:
1. EXPOSITORY- They are written to teach or instruct and are based on
fact.
2. ARGUMENTATIVE – These essays are based on fact, but the author
attempts to use facts to prove a case or to develop an argument.
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INFORMAL ESSAYS are much lighter reading. They are often written in the first
person and while they may use some facts, feelings, and emotions are often
expressed. The personality of the writer shines through the INFORMAL ESSAY.
INFORMAL ESSAYS may be of the following types:
1. PERSUAISVE ESSAYS – These essays are based on fact, but often this
is colored by the author’s personality and the arguments appeal more to
the reader’s emotions than his intellect.
2. FAMILIAR ESSAYS – The author gives his own reactions and ideas about
things familiar to him.
3. DESCRIPTIVE ESSAYS – A description of something or someone is the
subject.
NOTE: The above classification is not rigid. An essay may contain elements of
more than one type.
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