3/2/2015 1

Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533 – 1592)was one of the most significant philosophers ofthe French Renaissance, known as the creatorof personal essays as a literary genre. Hemerged autobiography with serious intellectualinsight. His massive volume Essais (translatedliterally as "Attempts" or "Trials") containssome of the most influential essays everwritten. Montaigne had a direct influence onwriters all over the world. He said ‘I am thesubject of my essays’.[Wikipedia]

3/2/2015 2

Michel Eyquem de Montaigne

The term ‘Essay’ means an attempt. It was first written by Montaigne, the

French scholar in the 16th century to express his personal feelings.

An essay is a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject,

usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.

It may also be defined as a short work of nonfiction, often artfully

disordered and highly polished, in which an authorial voice invites an

implied reader to accept as authentic a certain textual mode of experience.

3/2/2015 3

Aldous Huxley described the essay as "One damned thing afteranother“, "a literary device for saying almost everything about almostanything."

To Francis Bacon an essay was "dispersed meditations” whileSamuel Johnson called it nothing but “a loose sally of the mind“.

And again, to Edward Hoagland it was simply a "greased pig."

3/2/2015 4

Sir Francis Bacon(1561 – 1626)Frances Bacon's aim as an essayist was to share thewisdom of his life. The original number of essays inBacon's Essays (1597) was ten and included titles like"of Studies," "Of Discourse" "Of Suitors," "OfExpense." By the year 1612, there were thirty-eightessays. As Bacon's life progressed, through politics,philosophy, science, bribes and imprisonment, heshared his wisdom, so his development as anindividual is evident in tone and content and, sadly,unlike in classic fiction, his development as a man lefthim sadder. His style of essay writing is not dogmaticnor didactic but rather personable and friendly. He isacclaimed as the wisest, the brightest and the meanestof human beings.

3/2/2015 5

Essays are usually classified according to content and style.

Under the heading of content, essays may be classified as either informational or personal.

I. Informational essays

The informational or expository essay is written to provide information or to give instruction. The tone of an informational essay is generally serious.

II. Personal essays

Personal essays are entertaining and written on any subject that meets the authors need. The subject is often less important than mood and attitude.

3/2/2015 6

Under the heading of style, essays may be classified as either formal essays or informal (familiar).

I. Formal essays

Basic elements of a successful formal essay:

A strong thesis statement with logical supporting points.

Body paragraphs that discuss the supporting points in the order they are mentioned in the thesis statement.

Good transitions between paragraphs.

A conclusion which summarizes what has been said in the body of the paper.

Appropriate diction and tone

3/2/2015 7

Structure:

Thesis Statement

This is a depictive, relatively short statement rendering the main idea of your essay paper which you will defend in the course of your work It should consist of points establishing the subject and purpose of your paper;. They should also support the main idea of the text.

Body ParagraphsBody paragraphs should contain a detailed discussion of the supporting statements mentioned in the thesis statement. Note that this discussion should go exactly in the same order the supporting statements were presented in the thesis statement.

ConclusionThis is a short summary of the main ideas of the paper producing the most persuasive effect on the reader.

3/2/2015 8

3/2/2015 9

Features:

The language is formal and often bookish. There is no personal or anecdotal information. They generally are expository in nature and as a result do not contain slang, colloquial or familiar language. The formal essay is generally longer than the informal essay.

Examples of Formal Essays:

The Essays, by Francis Bacon

3/2/2015 10

II. Informal or (familiar) essays

Definition: A Familiar Essay is a short Prose Composition (a type of creative Nonfiction ) Characterized by the quality of the Personal Writing and the Distinctive voice or Persona of the essayist.

Features:

These types of essays are friendly or chatty. The standard of English used is correct but slang or colloquialisms are used. Personal experience is drawn upon and personal pronouns are used ie. I you he ... This type of essay is generally fairly short.

Examples of Familiar Essays:

New Year's Eve, by Charles Lamb

An Apology for Idlers, by Robert Louis Stevenson

Going Out for a Walk, by Max Beerbohm

Crooked Streets, by Hilaire Belloc

3/2/2015 11

The familiar essay reached its zenith with Charles Lamb. Though living a melancholy and often

tragic life, Lamb created in his essays a narrator "in love with this green earth", one who hid

wisdom under playfulness. His Essays of Elia includes autobiographical pieces such as "A Chapter

on Ears" and "Imperfect Sympathies", and humorous or farcical ones such as "A Dissertation upon

Roast Pig" and "Mrs. Battle's Opinions on Whist."

3/2/2015 12

It is useful to see the similarities between informal and formal essays, so we summarize it for you to

have a clear understanding. (As shown in the comparison chart below).

Characteristic Informal (Familiar) Essay Formal Essay

Author's Viewpoint Usually uses first person;

Directly addresses the reader

Usually uses third-person

pronoun

Subject / Content:

Sources of Evidence

Frequently drawn from life of the

writer and everyday events

More commonly drawn from shared

historical events or literature or other

forms of knowledge

3/2/2015 13

Tone Frequently more personal and

subjective; may be ironic, amusing,

thoughtful, angry, or serious;

Conversational and casual

Tends to be removed from the subject

and appears to be objective; tends to

hold emotions in check and express

concerns through strong arguments and

powerful rhetorical devices; Academic

and often instructional

Structure Appears to be more loosely

structured

Follow a fairly rigid structure that

focuses on the development of one clear

argument at a time to

support a clearly stated thesis

3/2/2015 14

Location of Thesis May appear anywhere in the essay;

may not be explicitly stated

Usually stated explicitly, generally

located in the first or second paragraph

of the essay

Vocabulary Everyday words; Slang and

colloquialisms; Contractions;Uses

"you" and "I"

Technical words according to subject;

No slang or contractions; Avoids "you"

and "I"

Purpose Entertainment; gentle reflection Provokes thought and sometimes action

3/2/2015 15

Charles Lamb (1775 –1834) is out and out a familiaressayist. He best known for his Essays of Elia and forthe children's book Tales from Shakespeare, whichhe produced with his sister, Mary Lamb(1764–1847).

He also wrote a number of poems, and was part ofa literary circle in England, along with S.T.Coleridgeand William Wordsworth. He has been referred toby E.V.Lucas, his principal biographer", as "the mostlovable figure in English literature”.

He is also called the prince of English Essayists.

3/2/2015 16

The following essays are included in thecollection ‘Essays of Elia’:

"The South-Sea House"

"Oxford In The Vacation"

"Christ's Hospital Five-And-Thirty Years Ago"

"The Two Races Of Men"

"New Year's Eve"

"Mrs Battle's Opinions On Whist"

"A Chapter On Ears"

"All Fools' Day"

"A Quakers' Meeting"

"The Old and The New Schoolmaster"

"Valentine's Day"

"Imperfect Sympathies"

"Witches And Other Night-Fears"

"My Relations"

"Mackery End, In Hertfordshire"

"Modern Gallantry"

"The Old Benchers Of The Inner Temple"

"Grace Before Meat"

"My First Play"

"Dream-Children; A Reverie"

"Distant Correspondents"

"The Praise Of Chimney-Sweepers"

"A Complaint Of The Decay Of Beggars In TheMetropolis"

"A Dissertation Upon Roast Pig"

"A Bachelor's Complaint Of the Behaviour OfMarried People"

"On Some Of The Old Actors"

"On The Artificial Comedy Of The Last Century"

"On The Acting Of Munden".

3/2/2015 17

William Hazlitt,(1778—1830) is an Englishwriter best known for his humanistic essays. Hiswriting is noted for the brilliant intellect itreveals. He is a familiar essayist of the EnglishRomantic age. His well known collection ofessays are Table Talk (1821) and The PlainSpeaker (1826).

Hazlitt’s Complete Works, in 13 volumes,appeared in 1902–06, to be reissued, edited byP.P. Howe, in 21 volumes in 1930–34.

Political Essays, The Plain Speaker, Charactersof Shakespeare's Plays, A View of the EnglishStage, The Round Table, Table Talk, Walkingtours are his most celebrated essays.

3/2/2015 18

3/2/2015 19