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What is an essay?
Meg Waite Clayton's recent discussion on favorite essays and essayists stumped me for a bit. Of course, the first name to come to mind was Joan Didion. That was easy. But who else? Susan Orlean? No, she's more a literary journalist, I reasoned. Terry Tempest Williams? No, she's more a memoirist, I thought.
Like many times before, I found myself asking, what makes an essay?
A few weeks ago, I attended a writing retreat with Kim Stafford and this very topic came up. Kim quoted short story writer, essayist and teacher Carol Bly. He said that she says an essay consists of an idea, a story and sensuous detail, in no particular order. The essay asks a question and answers it, maybe. Or it poses a question and tells a story.
No cut and dry definition. So, I ask, what makes an essay?
Kim
Blog: View from Here
Like many times before, I found myself asking, what makes an essay?
A few weeks ago, I attended a writing retreat with Kim Stafford and this very topic came up. Kim quoted short story writer, essayist and teacher Carol Bly. He said that she says an essay consists of an idea, a story and sensuous detail, in no particular order. The essay asks a question and answers it, maybe. Or it poses a question and tells a story.
No cut and dry definition. So, I ask, what makes an essay?
Kim
Blog: View from Here
Tags: Bly, Carol, Kim, Rogers, Stafford, Steutermann, essay
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by LUCILLE RAINS JOYNER on -
If you look back on Essay Comments, you will see that I asked the question "What Is An Essay?" I felt that everyone in the group knew what an essay was except me. Even though I felt stupid, everyone was kind enough to recommend writers of essays.However, I'm learning that you almost have to learn intuitively what an essay is. I'm not sure there is a clear cut definition. I'm glad that someone discovered what an an excellent topic of discussion this is. I believe there will be a lot of input.
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Permalink Reply by Amy Jo Sprague on -
Geez I don't know. For me it's like a single, resolute feeling, and that feeling branches off with ideas, values, free thought, curiousity, meandering, and honest questioning--because deep down we're searching for a something, and we don't have to say what it is. Maybe the answer is in the search?
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Permalink Reply by Renee Belinda Cooper on -
Anything can be an essay. I love it.
Renee -
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Permalink Reply by Meg Waite Clayton on -
One of the things I love and hate about essays is this broadness. I do think a personal essay "consists of an idea, a story and sensuous detail, in no particular order," but do all essays have story and/or sensuous detail? I think of them more as explorations of ideas that have as their starting point the exploration of the idea. (As opposed to fiction, which I think of more as exploration of character).
It's an interesting question! -
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