The Essays

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                                   Essay

Definitions for Essay:
Dr. Johnson defined essay as "a loose Sally of the mind, an irregular, indigested piece, not a regular and orderly performance". 
The Oxford English Dictionary explains it as " a composition of moderate length on any particular subject". 
Saintsbury describes it as "work of prose of art".
Hugh Walker divides essay in to two types,
*Essay Par Excellence - the writers of highest degree is one type.
*Composition - these writers are comparatively short and in being more or less incomplete.
The true essay according to W.H. Hudson "is essentially personal".
Origin:
Roman writers Cicero and Seneca wrote Epistles. These Epistles were considered as essays and not letter. Bacon says the word essay is ancient, for Seneca's "Epistles". 
Types of Essay:
Personal Essay: Montaigne, the French writer of the 16th century wrote personal essays. He employed the term "Essais". He is a subjective writer. He claims " Iam myself the subject of my book". He is the father of subjective or personal essay. 
The Aphoristic Essay:
Bacon differed from Montaigne. He is an objective or impersonal writer. He portrays the issues underlying in the society. He " entertains the reader instead with counsels, civil and moral". The writer uses crisp and short sentences. They convey their idea in brief, rapid sentences like a stroke of a hammer.
The characters writers:
Character became a favourite form of a description and satire. 
The Critical Essay:
Dryden introduced the critical essays. Dryden wrote Essay of Dramatic Poesy and Preface to  Fable which is partly critical and partly personal. 
The Periodical and Social Essay: 
During 18th century the essays appeared in periodicals. Steele and Addison were the master of this form. Steele started Tatler in 1709 and Addison started the Spectator in 1711. Their purpose "was to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality". 
The Reviewers: 
During the 19th century the periodical newspaper, gave place, as regards it's literary features, to the critical journal called Review.
 

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