APLAC Introduction to Reading and Writing from "25 Great Essays" by Robert DiYanni

George Orwell

"Animal Farm," "1984," "Shooting an Elephant" - famous essay, wrote about imperialism, wrote about his experience as a soldier in India, English

Richard Rodriques

"Heading into Darkness:" terrorism and its effect on people's lives, writes about California and being bilingual

William Hazlitt

felt essays should have "gusto," stressed importance of feeling in writing, wrote "On the Pleasure of Hating"

Short Story

fiction, have settings, characters, conflict, theme, imply, may use different points of view (type of writing)

M. Scott Momaday

writes about Native American tradition, from his grandmother's point of view, "The Way to Raving Mt"

Gretel Ehrlich

writes about cowboys and life in the West

Ralph Waldo Emerson

writing focused on nature, came from public lectures, Aphoristic, "Hitch your wagon to a star," "Trust thyself," "Give all to love"

Zora Neale Hurston

wrote about pride in being black woman, famous book - "Their Eyes were Watching God," wrote essays about her childhood in Florida, Harlem Renaissance

Frederick Douglass

wrote about struggle for literacy as black slave, "Learning to Read and Write" - famous essay about his master's wife teaching him how to read, 1818-1895, freed slave

E.B. White

wrote books for children: "Charlotte's Web," "Stuart Little," wrote columns for "Harpers" and "The New Yorker," "Once more to the Lake" - most famous essay

Thomas Paine

wrote political essays, "The Crisis" was his periodical, famous for "Common Sense"

Tom Wolfe

"One Life:" culture in 60's, "The Right Stuff:" astronauts, "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test"

Ben Franklin

"Poor Richard's Almanack," aphorisms, "fish and visitors stink after three days," "haste makes waste," "a stitch in time saves nine"

Charles Lamb

"The Essays of Elia," lifelong bachelor, "A Bachelor's Complaint," essays were playful, passionate, and highly opinionated

Sei Shonagon

10th century, Japanese court lady, wrote pillow books (gossip books)

Virginia Woolf

1882-1942, English, made stream of consciousness style of writing popular, "Death of a Moth" - famous essay, published essays in "Common Reader," relaxed style

James Baldwin

1924-1987, race relations in America and his place in society as a black man, became an expatriate and lived in Paris, "Notes from a Native Son:" essay about his father

Plutarch

46-120 Greece, "Parallel Lives," influenced biography, "Maralia" - essays

Jonathan Swift

British author, "Gulliver's Travels," wrote the most famous literary satire "A Modest Proposal" - (The one about eating babies) this has a longer title

Samuel Johnson

English essayist, satirical tone, "The Rambler," "Idler," "Adventurer" - periodical

Frances Bacon

English statesman, scientist, essayist, father of English essay, essays were short, more impersonal (not giving his feelings), advice on how to live, formal

Montaigne

French essayist, father of modern essay, named the genre "essais" meaning attempts, personal tone, mind in the act of thinking, similar to Seneca, longer essays, advice for living

Essaie / essayer

Montaigne, French word "essayer" - to try / attempt

Henry David Thoreau

Nature, famous essay was "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience," "Walden" - book of essays, "If a man cannot keep peace with his companions, perhaps he hears the sound of a different drummer," lived in woods and wrote

Seneca

Roman, crater, philosopher, dramatist, common topics: Asthma, noise

Addison and Steele

Team to publish in periodicals, "The Tattler," "Spectator," these came out as often as three times a week, more lighthearted

Essay

explain, personal tone uses "I," formal omit first person, analytical, argumentative (type of writing)

James Thurber

humorist, satirical cartoons, short story - "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," "My life and Hard Times" is his autobiography, "Is Sex Necessary:" a spoof on pop psychology

Kenko

poet and Buddhist monk, brief fragmented essays, compared to brushstrokes of Zen painting, stream of consciousness style

Maxine Hong Kingston

power and place of gender in traditional China, "No Name Woman"

Martin Luther King

racial prejudice and injustice, "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

Joan Didion

social issues in 60's, "marrying Absurd:" wedding chapels in Los Vegas