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
