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What are Essays?

What is an Essay?

Leaving aside the controversy over the exact definition of the term, an essay is a literary or non-literary composition that has a basic structure and reflects a person’s point of view on a particular issue. In light of this, an essay is always subjective and, in some cases, rather biased. Nonetheless, this form of writing is especially popular today and can even be equated to an art. An essay requires much creativity, critical thinking, and imagination. A contemporary essay genre is flexible; it changes forms and draws on such elements as photography, poetry, music, cinematography, and painting.

Historic background

The word essay came into clear focus in the 16th century when Michel de Montaigne, a famous French writer and thinker, wrote a narrative in a completely new form and used a term of French derivation to denote brief sketches of self analysis. Such literary piece became further known as an informal essay. Some years later, Francis Bacon, an English writer and philosopher, employed the same term in regard to his reflections on social and moral issues, thus paving the way to the rise of a formal essay.

Until the middle of the 20th century, the distinction between formal and informal essays was sharp; George Orwell, Mark Twain, Jonathan Swift, Virginia Woolf set their choice on an informal essay that was characterised by simplicity, fluency, and intimacy. Contrariwise, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Samuel Johnson, Owen Felltham, John Stuart Mill, Joseph Addison were more interested in a formal essay that could be written in an impersonal style. But the distinction was practically eliminated at the end of the 20th century due to the development of new essay forms. Modern scholars divide essays into three major categories: academic essays (formal), literary essays (informal), and non-literary essays.

Academic essay as an assessment technique

The aim of an academic essay is to shape students’ skills in critical reading and formal writing. Different types of academic essays help students arrange their ideas in a concise manner, increase their knowledge, and enhance inner growth. As an important assessment device, an essay is effectively used in schools, colleges, and universities. Every academic essay should conform to such referencing styles as Harvard, APA, Chicago, or MLA.  In general terms, academic essays can be classified as follows:

Description essay

A description essay is a piece of writing that reveals the author’s portrayal of a certain event, situation, feeling, emotion, or place. As the intention of this essay is to evoke and capture readers’ imagination, it is crucial to use vivid and detailed images that stimulate all senses. Unquestionably, metaphors, alliterations, similes, and other stylistic devices intensify the vividness of portrayal. Overall, all elements in this essay are arranged in a spatial pattern.

Cause and effect essay

A cause and effect essay describes a situation and its consequences; in more specific terms, it makes an attempt to recognise causal relationships between events. An author has two alternative ways of writing: he/she may start with the description of causes and then proceed to effects, or he/she may specify effects and then turn to causes.

Comparison essay

A comparison essay draws parallels between two objects, realms, persons, situations, or things, highlighting similarities and differences. An author may use two different strategies for comparison: an alternating pattern and a divided pattern. If an alternating pattern is chosen, information is organised in complimentary pairs; if a divided pattern is chosen, separate sections are used for a comparison.

Admission essay

An admission essay is a piece of work that an applicant submits to an admission committee. This essay reveals the applicant’s abilities and differentiates him/her from other candidates; hence, it should be quite impressive and exceptional. Written in the form of literary essay, it conveys crucial information about an applicant (e.g. his/her personality, desires, and intentions).

Expository essay

An expository essay is written to clarify a particular issue, bring to light specific details. The question under consideration can be analysed from one perspective or from several different perspectives. Information in an expository essay is presented in a factual way; instead of expressing an opinion, an author specifies facts and supports them with necessary evidence.  

Critical essay

This essay critically evaluates a person’s life, action, behaviour, or work. Moreover, it may analyse a literary piece, a song, a film, or a play, recognising strong and weak sides. Unquestionably, a critical essay considerably reinforces author’s independent thinking and encourages him/her to express different ideas.

Classification essay

The aim of a classification essay is to arrange something (e.g. things, feelings, or ideas) into certain categories, taking into account distinctive characteristics. Any classification should be backed up by a large amount of supporting evidence (theoretical implications, empirical findings, or systematic observations).  

Process analysis essay

This essay provides a detailed analysis of a certain process and gives recommendations on how to successfully accomplish it. The structural pattern in a process analysis essay is chronological.

Definition essay

A definition essay penetrates deep into the meaning of a certain concept. A profound analysis is conducted to figure out a proper definition. Information in this essay is presented either explicitly or implicitly.

Narrative essay

A narrative essay recounts personal experiences. Written in the form of a story, it may be serious and life-asserting or humorous and entertaining; written in the form of a report, it is usually informative and clear. This kind of essay is more versatile in style, mode, and tone than other academic essays.

Persuasive essay

The aim of a persuasive essay is to convince readers of a particular viewpoint by appealing to either their emotions or common sense. An author may use such devices as satire, mockery, or sarcasm to intensify his/her impact on readers. Another approach is to provide factual or statistical evidence to back up the narration. This essay is based on a sequential pattern.

>> Read more about the different essay types...

Literary essays

A literary essay is a piece of work that is written in an informal style. It is especially crucial to distinguish between an academic literary essay and an informal literary essay. While an academic literary essay analyses a certain literary work, an informal literary essay may cover a wide range of issues. An author may choose an ordinary, everyday situation and, using his/her imagination and creative skills, write an expressive, critical, or humorous literary essay. Contrary to academic essays, literary essays are characterised by different formats, structures, and writing styles. The major emphasis in these essays is put on the author-reader relationship. An author should not only find a clear and adequate way of expressing ideas, but also provide important clues to his/her personality.

Non-literary essay forms

In addition to academic and literary essays, there are also non-literary essays that are often rejected by scholars because they challenge the traditional standards of writing. These essays may be divided into three categories: a cinematic essay, a photo essay, and a musical essay.

Cinematic essay

A cinematic essay is a new form that has its roots back in an informal essay and juxtaposes three genres – fiction, experimental, and documentary. Due to its novelty, the definition of the term is too broad and vague; in general terms, a cinematic essay is a genre in which a subject and a theme are active. Some elements of a cinematic essay are evident in Georges Melies’ film Edward VII and Bertolt Brecht’s Epic Theatre. Brecht made an attempt to separate components (e.g. sound, action, voice) in a film and transform the genre of documentary, adding subjective stories. A cinematic essay is further perfected by Straub-Huillet, Alexander Kluge, Michel Verhoeven, Alan Berliner, Frederico Fellini, Orson Welles, and Jean-Luc Godard.

Photo essay

A photo essay is another genre that has recently emerged; it juxtaposes the elements of photography and creative writing. An author makes a series of photos and presents them in succession to create a story. Normally, each photo has a short description; for a better effect, a photo essay may use such techniques as rolling texts and music. James Nachtwey, Joachim Ladefoged, and Lauren Greenfield are photojournalists who are especially famous for their unforgettable photo essays.

Musical essay

The musical essays were composed by Samuel Barber; in his Essays for Orchestra Barber integrates literary allusions into his music. Similar to formal essays, Barber’s essays have a melodic thesis and several well-defined ideas; due to these elements, his music is characterised by an unusual harmony.

Structure of an essay

Generally, the structure of an essay consists of three parts: a thesis statement, a body, and a conclusion.

Thesis statement

A thesis statement is an introductory paragraph that specifies the main idea of an essay. It should be concise and well-defined. This part of an essay is rather complex, yet crucial, as it provides a basis for further discussion.

Main body

A body of an essay is divided into several paragraphs; although each paragraph introduces a new idea, they are inseparably connected with each other and explicitly relate to a thesis statement. Due to this integrity, a narration is consistent and diversified.

Conclusion

A conclusion summarises the major aspects of an essay, drawing logical inferences and confirming a thesis statement.

>> Read more on how to write an essay...