INTRODUCTION:
The essay is a widely practiced form in modern literature. An
essay could be defined as a short piece of writing that reveals the writer’s
views or analysis of particular subject. As a literary form, it is difficult to
study systematically since it varies greatly in style, treatment and method. It
could range in length from Francis Bacon’s brief pieces of concentrated wisdom,
running into a page or two, to the book length pieces by John Locke, Lord Macaulay
and Herbert Spencer. It is one of the most flexible and adaptable of all
literary forms.
The essay could vary in subject matter too. For example,
Bacon shared his views on various subjects ranging from love, death, and
atheism to travel, marriage and gardens. The essays of the French renaissance
philosopher Michel de Montaigne are an assortment of random thoughts,
quotations and anecdotes. Even with regard to treatment, each writer has his or
her own style in approaching the subject. Charles Lamb employed a
conversational style, taking the reader through a gamut of emotions, while
Jonathan Swift used biting satire to attack his opponents in his essays.
SOME DEFINITIONS OF ESSAY
The word ‘essay’ has been applied to nearly every kind of
writing except poems, plays and stories. For the sake of convenience, one can
define the essay as a brief composition in prose on any particular subject or
branch of a subject. According to Samuel Johnson, as essay is ,
“A loose sally of the mind; an irregular, undigested piece;
not a regular and orderly composition”
According to E.V. Lucas,
“A good essay, more than a novel, a poem , a play, or a
treatise, is personality translated into print.”
Aldous Huxley defined essay as,
“a literary device for saying almost everything about almost
anything.”
Montaigne (1533-92) could be considered the father of the
modern essay. It was he who first used the term ‘essais’, meaning ‘attempt’ ,
‘experiment’, or endeavor’, for this type of writing. His essays were informal
in nature and had a warmth and grace about them. In 1597, Francis Bacon applied
the word ‘essay’ to this genre for the first time in English. Bacon is
considered to be a pioneer of this form.
FEATURES OF THE ESSAY:
Ø The modern essay tends to limit its
length and range as far as the treatment of the subject goes. When the essay
grows too long and attempts an exhaustive view of the subject, it ceases to be
an essay and the term ‘dissertation; or ‘thesis’ could be applied to it. The
difference between an essay and the dissertation is that the essay is addressed
to the lay person while the later is for the consumption of the specialist.
Ø An essay does not attempt to give the
reader an exhaustive or comprehensive understanding of its subject. A good
essay should have conciseness and thoroughness expected from a master of the
subject. Comparative brevity is a formal
feature of the essay. According to the
British author William Henry Hudson,
“selection and the proper
distribution of emphasis will… be found among the elementary principles of
essay writing.’
A good essay does not attempt too
much.
Ø In spite of being only about a part
of a subject, a good essay nevertheless gives the reader a sense of
completeness in its treatment. Although the essay touches a few aspects of a
subject, it must look complete to the reader.
Ø The subject matter of the essay is
unlimited and the form could cover a vast range of topics.
Some of the well-known types of literary essays are
- Ø Aphoristic Essay
- Ø Personal Essay
- Ø Character Sketch
- Ø Critical Essay
- Ø Periodical Essay
Conclusion:
The essay is a versatile and engaging form of literary
expression. It allows writes to communicate their thoughts and ideas on various
topics, appealing to readers’ intellect and emotions. With its concise format
and clear structure, the essay encourages critical thinking and invites readers
to explore new perspectives. The essay form has been flourished a lot because
of the famous essayists like Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, Thomas de Quincey,
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Macaulay, Leigh Hunt, Thomas Carlyle, John
Ruskin, E.V. Lucas and several others.
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