AP Lang - History of the Essay

Jonathan Swift

british author of Gulliver's travels, wrote the most famous literary satire - "A Modest Proposal"

E.B. White

children's books, charolettes web, stuart little, "once more to the lake" (most famous essay), common reader

william hazlitt

felt essays should have "gusto" (feeling & passion), stressed the importance of feeling in writing, wrote "on the pleasure of hating"

Montaigne

french essayist, father of the modern essay, named it "essais" meaning attempts, personal tone, reveals himself, his mind in the act of thinking, copied Seneca's style of writing, 16th century

gretel ehrlich

writes about cowboys and life in the west

scott momaday

writes about native American tradition, grandma's point of view, "the way to rainy mt."

ralph waldo emerson

writing focused on nature, essays came from public lectures, aphoristic style, "hitch your wagon to a star" "trust thyself" "give all to love"

fredrick douglass

wrote about his struggle for literacy as a black slave "learning to read & write" is his famous essay about his master's wife teaching him english

zoera neale hurston

wrote about pride in being black and a woman, her famous book is "their eyes were watching god", wrote essays about her childhood in florida

James Baldwin

wrote about race relations in america and his place in society as a black man, became an expatriate and lived in paris, "notes from native son" - his essay about his father

Thomas Paine

wrote political essays, "the crisis" was his periodical, famous for "common sense"

Sei Shonagon

Japanese court lady, wrote pillow books, writing was like journal entries

virginia woolf

made stream of consciousness style of writing popular, "death of the moth" (most famous essay), published essays in common reader

the 5 classics

"a modest proposal" by jonathan swift, "letter from birmingham jail" by MLK, "death of a moth" by virginia wolfe, "shooting an elephant" by george orwell, "once more to the lake" by E.B. White

richard rodriquez

"heading into darkness" - heroism and its effect on people's lives, writes about california and being billingual

tom wolfe

"one life" - culture in the 60s, "the right stuff" - astronauts, "the electric kool-aid acid test"

Plutarch

46-120 from Greece, "Parallel Lives," influenced biographies, "Moralia" essays

langston hughes

African American poet who described the rich culture of african American life using rhythms influenced by jazz music. He wrote of African American hope and defiance, as well as the culture of Harlem and also had a major impact on the Harlem Renaissance.

Seneca

Roman writer, orator, philosopher, and dramatist. common topics. "noise" & "asthma"

Amy Tan

american writer who wrote about her chinese heritage

george orwell

animal farm, shooting the elephant (most famous essay), wrote about imperialism

samuel johnson

english essayist, famous for his satirical tone, published in his periodical: "The Rambler", "Idler", and "Adventurer"

Frances Bacon

english statesman, scientist & essayist, father of the english essay, essays were short, more impersonal than Montaigne, advice on how to live, Renaissance

Charles Lamb

essays of elia, lifelong bachelor, "a bachelor's complaint", essays were playful, passionate, highly opinionated

James Thurber

humorist, drew satirical cartoons, famous for short story "the secret life of walter mitty", "my life and hard times" is his autobiography, "is sex necessary: a spoof

reading essays involve

observing, connecting, informing, concluding, questioning

ben franklin

poor richard's almanac, famous for his aphorisms (fish & visitors stink after 3 days)

Kenko

post & buddhist monk, brief fragmented essays, wrote in stream of consciousness style

maxine hong kingston

power and place of gender in traditional china, "no name woman"

martin luther king jr.

racial prejudice and injustice, "letter from birmingham jail"

Joan Didion

social issues in the 60s, "marrying absurd" - wedding chapels in vegas

Henry David Thoreau

student of emerson, wrote about nature, most famous essay was "on the duty of civil obedience", "walden" was his book of essays, drummer quote

Addison & Steele

teamed together to publish in periodicals: "The Tatler & the Spectator", these came out as often as three times a week