Essay on "Essay"

Unit-III
Prose

Essay

What is an Essay?

The word ‘Essay’ means an attempt or assay. It is a composition of moderate length on any particular subject or branch of the subject.

Definition of an Essay:

Dr Johnson says “A loose sally of the mind, an irregular, undigested piece, not a regular and orderly composition”. An essay could be defined as a short piece of writing that reveals the writer's views or analysis of a particular subject. The word "Essay" is from the word "Assay", meaning 'an attempt or an effort. It can also be defined as a discussion in prose of a certain topic. The word "Essay" has the same meaning as the word "Assay, i.e. an attempt or an "effort". This signifies that the essay is a composition, somewhat incomplete and systematic. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as, A Composition of moderate length on any particular subject, originally implying a want of finish, but now said of composition more or less elaborate in style, though limited in range. The essay resembles the lyric. Like the Lyric, it is intensely subjective, an expression of the moods likes and dislikes, of its author.

Characteristics of an essay

It is a prose composition, brief or of moderate length. This brevity or shortness of the assay results from the fact that the essayist has full command over his subject, and so can express himself in a pithy and condensed language. The essay is incomplete. It is not exhaustive. The essay does not say all that is to be said on the subject. On the other hand, the essayist writes only on those aspects of the subject which he considers most significant. It is personal in nature. The essay expresses the personal likes and dislikes of the essayist. It is informal and unsystematic. Dr. Johnson called it "an undigested piece, and a loose sally of the mind". There is no formal or logical development of thought in an essay. The essayist likes to enjoy the freedom of conversation. So he is informal and often chatty. A good essay should be attractive and charming and also should have a touch of humour.

Types of Essay:

There are many types of essays, they are

• The Aphoristic Essay

• The Character Essay

• The Critical Essay

• The Periodical Essay

• The personal Essay

• Twentieth Century

Features of the essay

●          It is a prose composition of moderate length.

●          It is noted by its brevity.

●          It is incomplete and not exhaustive.

●          It considers only one subject which is significant.

●          It is highly personal in nature it expresses personal likes and dislikes.

●          It is informal and unsystematic as it lacks finish.

●          A good essay should be attractive and charming.

Origin and growth of the Essay

Montaigne the father of modern essay

The personal essay owes its existence to the French essayist Montaigne (1533-92) who could be considered the father of the modern essay. It was he who first Used the term 'essays' meaning 'attempt, 'experiment' or 'endeavour', for this type of writing (in 1580) His essays were informal in nature and had a warmth and Grace about them.

Bacon and The Aphoristic Essay:

These essays contain short, crisp sentences with a didactic bent. These are known for their precision of style and balancing structure. No superfluous words are used and sentences flow rapidly. They express the ideas directly and clearly. Bacon’s essays are aphoristic style. 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. He regarded the essays as, 'a receptacle for detached thoughts", and so he called his essays, "dispersed meditations". Bacon had the habit of noting down his experiences and his views on man and life. That is why he defined his essays as, "counsels civil and moral". His purpose was not to preach ideal morality but to give valuable guidance on a variety of subjects drawn from day to day affairs of practical life.

The Character Essay:

The essay took the form of character sketches in the writings of Joseph Hall, John Earle and Sir Thomas Overbury. These essays were marked by minute details and presented in humorous and satiric style. It is a pen picture of various types of men and women. Addison’s essays are examples.

The Critical Essay:

It was introduced by Dryden during the restoration period. Its theme was literary criticism. It is the main objective. T.S. Eliot and F.R.Leavis wrote many critical essays.

The Periodical Essay:

Became popular with the publication of Steele’s ‘The Tatler’ and Addison and Steele’s ‘The

Spectator’. With the rise of the periodical press, at the beginning of the 18th century, the essay took a long side forward. During the period there were a large number of Journals or periodicals like The Tatler and The Spectator, founded by Addison and Steele. The essayist who maintained the tradition of Addison is Oliver Goldsmith. He contributed largely to the Bee and his series of essays entitled the Chinese Letters. In grace, charm and amiable good humour, Goldsmith is one of the greatest essayists of England.

Charles Lamb-"the prince of essayists"

The most important personal essayist of the first decade of the 19h century and the greatest of all essayists of England is Charles Lamb. The humour that runs throughout his essays is genial and charming, airy and selfish, and it is blended with rare skill with a tendor, pathos that has a charm quite its own. After Lamb, the most important essayists of the Victorian era are Thomas Carlyle, John Ruskin, Matthew Arnold, .H. Pater and R.L. Stevenson.

The personal Essay:

It may be called Prose-Lyric we find in the essays of Charles Lamb. The author talks about himself taking the reader into his confidence. It can be called personality translated into print.  The best example is Charles Lamb’s ‘Essays of Elia’, My Relation.

Twentieth Century:

Many modern essays appear in the form of articles and they are collected published in book form. It is expository, reflective and descriptive. Its main element is humour. Modern Essayists are G.K. Chesterton, J.B.Priestly. Max Beerbohm and E.V.Lucas. The modern essays provide a criticism of life. They propagate the essayists' views on various aspects of life. Wit and humour are the leading charms of the modern essay. Every subject between heaven and earth is considered suitable for the essay. The style is also simple, though dignified.