ESSAY

History of Essay
• a short piece of writing on a particular

subject.
• a short literary composition on a particular
theme or subject, usually in prose and
generally analytic, speculative, or
interpretative.
• a piece of writing that gives the author's
own argument
• The word ‘ESSAY’ is derived from a French
word essayer which means “to try” or “to
attempt”.
MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE
FATHER OF ESSAY
• It was he who arguably introduced the style
of using a very personal voice in writing.
• He wrote the book “The Essais”.
• It contained three books and 107 chapters of
varying length.
• Montaigne's stated design in writing,
publishing and revising the Essays over the
period from approximately 1570 to 1592 was
to record "some traits of my character and of
my humours.
• The Essays were first published in 1580 and
cover a wide range of topics.
• That Men by Various Ways Arrive at the Same
End"
• "Of Sadness or Sorrow"
• "That Our Affections Carry Themselves Beyond
Us"
• "That the Soul Expends Its Passions Upon False
Objects"
• "Whether the Governor Himself Go Out to Parley"
• "That the Hour of Parley Is Dangerous"
• "That the Intention is Judge of Our Actions"
• "Of Idleness"
• "Of Liars"
• "Of Quick or Slow Speech"
• "Of Prognostications"
• "Of Constancy"
• "The Ceremony of the Interview of Princes"
• "That Men are Justly Punished for Being
Obstinate"
• "Of the Punishment of Cowardice"
• "A Proceeding of Some Ambassadors"
• "Of Fear"
• "Not To Judge of Our Happiness Till After
Death"
• "That To Study Philosophy is to Learn to Die"
• "Of Imagination"
NATURE OF ESSAY
• Essays have traditionally been sub-classified
as formal and informal.
• Formal essays are characterized by serious
purpose, dignity, logical organization, length.
• Informal essay is characterized by "the
personal element (self-revelation, individual
tastes and experiences, confidential manner),
humor, graceful style, rambling structure,
unconventionality or novelty of theme.
• Essays are commonly used as literary
criticism, political manifestos,
learned arguments, observations of daily life,
recollections, and reflections of the author.
• Almost all modern essays are written
in prose, but works in verse have been
dubbed essays (e.g., Alexander Pope's An
Essay on Criticism and An Essay on Man)
• In some countries (e.g., the United States and
Canada), essays have become a major part of
formal education.
• The concept of an "essay" has been extended
to other mediums beyond writing.
• Film essay is a movie that often incorporates
documentary filmmaking styles and focuses
more on the evolution of a theme or idea.
• Photographic essay covers a topic with a
linked series of photographs that may have
accompanying text or captions.
FAMOUS ESSAYISTS OF THE WORLD
RALPH WALDO EMERSON - an American essayist,

lecturer, and poet, who led the
Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th
century.
FAMOUS ESSAYISTS OF THE WORLD
• FYODOR MIKHAILOVICH DOSTOYEVSKY- a

Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist,
journalist and philosopher. Dostoyevsky's
literary works explore human psychology in
the troubled political, social, and spiritual
atmosphere of 19th-century Russia.
• PHILIP KINDRED DICK- an American novelist,
short story writer, essayist and philosopher
whose published works mainly belong to the
genre of science fiction.
• James Arthur Baldwin- an American novelist,
essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.
His essays, as collected in Notes of a Native
Son, explore palpable yet unspoken
intricacies of racial, sexual, and class
distinctions in Western societies, most
notably in mid-20th-century America
4 Major Types
of Essay
Narrative Essays: Telling a Story
• In a narrative essay, the writer tells a story about a
real-life experience.
• While telling a story may sound easy to do, the
narrative essay challenges students to think and write
about themselves.
• When writing a narrative essay, writers should try to
involve the reader by making the story as vivid as
possible.
• The fact that narrative essays are usually written in the
first person helps engage the reader. “I” sentences give
readers a feeling of being part of the story.
• A well-crafted narrative essay will also build towards
drawing a conclusion or making a personal statement.
Descriptive Essays: Painting a Picture
• A cousin of the narrative essay, a descriptive
essay paints a picture with words.
• A writer might describe a person, place, object, or
even memory of special significance.
• However, this type of essay is not description for
description’s sake.
• The descriptive essay strives to communicate a
deeper meaning through the description.
• In a descriptive essay, the writer should show, not
tell, through the use of colorful words and sensory
details.
• The best descriptive essays appeal to the reader’s
emotions, with a result that is highly evocative.
Expository Essays: Just the Facts
• The expository essay is an informative piece of
writing that presents a balanced analysis of a topic.
• In an expository essay, the writer explains or defines
a topic, using facts, statistics, and examples.
• Expository writing encompasses a wide range of
essay variations, such as the comparison and contrast
essay, the cause and effect essay, and the “how to” or
process essay.
• Because expository essays are based on facts and not
personal feelings, writers don’t reveal their emotions
or write in the first person.
Persuasive Essays: Convince Me
• While like an expository essay in its presentation
of facts, the goal of the persuasive essay is to
convince the reader to accept the writer’s point
of view or recommendation.
• The writer must build a case using facts and logic,
as well as examples, expert opinion, and sound
reasoning.
• The writer should present all sides of the
argument, but must be able to communicate
clearly and without equivocation why a certain
position is correct.

ESSAY

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History of Essay

• a short piece of writing on a particular

RALPH WALDO EMERSON - an American essayist,

• FYODOR MIKHAILOVICH DOSTOYEVSKY- a

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