ESSAY
What is Essay? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples
Essay Definition
An essay (ES-ey) is a nonfiction composition that explores a concept, argument, idea,
or opinion from the personal perspective of the writer. Essays are usually a few pages,
but they can also be book-length. Unlike other forms of nonfiction writing, like
textbooks or biographies, an essay doesn’t inherently require research. Literary
essayists are conveying ideas in a more informal way.
The word essay comes from the Late Latin exigere, meaning “ascertain or weigh,”
which later became essayer in Old French. The late-15th-century version came to
mean “test the quality of.” It’s this latter derivation that French philosopher Michel de
Montaigne first used to describe a composition.
History of the Essay
Michel de Montaigne first coined the term essayer to describe Plutarch’s Oeuvres
Morales, which is now widely considered to be a collection of essays. Under the new
term, Montaigne wrote the first official collection of essays, Essais, in 1580.
Montaigne’s goal was to pen his personal ideas in prose. In 1597, a collection of
Francis Bacon’s work appeared as the first essay collection written in English. The
term essayist was first used by English playwright Ben Jonson in 1609.
Types of Essays
There are many ways to categorize essays. Aldous Huxley, a leading essayist,
determined that there are three major groups: personal and autobiographical,
objective and factual, and abstract and universal. Within these groups, several other
types can exist, including the following:
• Academic Essays: Educators frequently assign essays to encourage students to think deeply
about a given subject and to assess the student’s knowledge. As such, an academic essay
employs a formal language and tone, and it may include references and a bibliography. It’s
objective and factual, and it typically uses a five-paragraph model of an introduction, two or
more body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Several other essay types, like descriptive,
argumentative, and expository, can fall under the umbrella of an academic essay.
• Analytical Essays: An analytical essay breaks down and interprets something, like an event,
piece of literature, or artwork. This type of essay combines abstraction and personal
viewpoints. Professional reviews of movies, TV shows, and albums are likely the most
common form of analytical essays that people encounter in everyday life.
• Argumentative/Persuasive Essays: In an argumentative or persuasive essay, the essayist
offers their opinion on a debatable topic and refutes opposing views. Their goal is to get the
reader to agree with them. Argumentative/persuasive essays can be personal, factual, and
even both at the same time. They can also be humorous or satirical; Jonathan Swift’s A
Modest Proposal is a satirical essay arguing that the best way for Irish people to get out of
poverty is to sell their children to rich people as a food source.
• Descriptive Essays: In a descriptive essay, the essayist describes something, someone, or an
event in great detail. The essay’s subject can be something concrete, meaning it can be
experienced with any or all of the five senses, or abstract, meaning it can’t be interacted with
in a physical sense.
• Expository Essay: An expository essay is a factual piece of writing that explains a particular
concept or issue. Investigative journalists often write expository essays in their beat, and
things like manuals or how-to guides are also written in an expository style.
• Narrative/Personal: In a narrative or personal essay, the essayist tells a story, which is usually
a recounting of a personal event. Narrative and personal essays may attempt to support a
moral or lesson. People are often most familiar with this category as many writers and
celebrities frequently publish essay collections.
