Elements of Essay as a Form of Literature

Elements of Essay as a Form of Literature

Introduction

The essay is an important form of English prose literature. The word essay means an attempt or trial. The French writer Michel de Montaigne is generally regarded as the father of the modern essay. His ‘Essais’ presented his personal thoughts, experiences, observations, and opinions. Later, writers such as Francis Bacon, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Charles Lamb, and William Hazlitt developed the English essay in different ways.

The important elements of an essay as a literary form are as follows:

1. Subject or Theme

Every essay has a particular subject, theme or central idea. It may deal with human life, society, education, friendship, books, politics, nature, or everyday experiences.

For example, Bacon wrote essays on subjects such as “Of Studies,” “Of Truth,” “Of Friendship,” and “Of Marriage and Single Life.” His essays deal with important aspects of human life. In Bacon’s “Of Studies,” the central idea is the importance and proper use of study. He explains how reading and study can develop a person’s knowledge and judgment.

2. Personal Element or Subjectivity

A literary essay often presents the writer’s personal view of a subject. The personal element or subjectivity is one of the most important features of the essay. The writer’s personality, feelings, opinions, and experiences can often be seen in the essay.

This element is especially clear in Montaigne’s essays. He often writes about himself, his habits, thoughts, and experiences. Charles Lamb also makes strong use of the personal element. His essay “Dream Children: A Reverie” contains personal memories, imagination, and emotion.

3. Brevity

An essay is generally a short prose composition. The writer tries to express his ideas without unnecessary details. Essay has no scope for elaborate narration of ideas. It has to be very short and to the point.

Bacon’s essays are excellent examples of brevity. His sentences are often short and full of meaning. For example, “Reading maketh a full man” from Of Studies expresses a significant idea in very few words.

4. Unity and Coherence

A good essay should have unity. All its ideas should be connected with the main subject. It should also have coherence, meaning that ideas should follow one another naturally.

The essays in The Spectator, written mainly by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele, are good examples. Their discussions of manners, society, and everyday life generally develop around a central subject.

5. Style

Style means the writer’s particular way of using language. Different essayists have different styles.

·        Bacon – concise, serious, philosophical, and full of memorable sayings.

·        Addison – clear, elegant, balanced, and gentle.

·        Steele – simple, lively, and conversational.

·        Charles Lamb – personal, humorous, emotional, and imaginative.

·        William Hazlitt – passionate, critical, argumentative, and energetic.

·        Dr. Samuel Johnson – serious, moral, intellectual, and dignified.

Thus, style helps us recognise the personality of an essayist.

6. Humour and Satire

Humour and satire are also important elements of many essays. Writers use humour to entertain readers and satire to point out the weaknesses of individuals or society.

Addison and Steele often used gentle satire to criticise the manners and habits of eighteenth-century society. Charles Lamb used humour in essays such as “A Dissertation upon Roast Pig.” Essayists often observe people, society, customs, and everyday life. Their essays therefore provide valuable pictures of the society of their time.

Addison and Steele’s The Spectator presents eighteenth-century English society, its manners, fashions, habits, and social problems. Dr. Johnson’s “The Vanity of Human Wishes” and his prose writings also reflect his serious observations about human life.

8. Imagination and Emotion

Some essayists combine thought with imagination and emotion. This makes the essay more literary and attractive.

Charles Lamb is an excellent example. In “Dream Children: A Reverie,” he mixes memory, imagination, love, and sadness. His essays show that an essay can be both thoughtful and deeply emotional.

Conclusion

The essay is a flexible and personal form of prose literature. Its important elements include subject, central idea, personal element, subjectivity, brevity, unity, coherence, style, humour, social observation, imagination, and emotion. Different essayists have developed these elements in different ways.

·        Montaigne gave the essay its personal character;

·        Bacon made it concise and philosophical;

·        Addison and Steele made it social and conversational;

·        Dr. Johnson gave it moral seriousness;

·        Lamb made it personal and emotional;

·        Hazlitt made it critical and passionate.

Thus, the English essay has developed into a rich and varied form of literature.