Category: essay writing guide

French, 1882.-1939 Educated in France, England, and Germany in the most select schools, Charles Du Bos was an avid reader, who considered that encountering an author was meant to transform one’s life. A man who valued spiritual life above ail Read More …

Irish, 1900-1991 Hubert Butler began publishing essays in the 1930s in Irish newspapers and literary magazines such as the Bell, the Twentieth Century, the Irish Times and the Dublin Magazine. It seems extraordinary that* for whatever combination of personal, political, Read More …

Chinese, 1007-1072 Known as one of the eight great prose stylists of the Tang and Song dynasties, Ouyang Xiu is remembered for both his output and his influence upon the course of literary history. More than any other single writer, Read More …

During the 19th century a famous satirical quatrain was published, mockingly wondering whether the word feuilleton came from the verb feuilletery to Hick through, or vice versa. The genre had already changed by that date, and feuilleton had come to Read More …

The history of the British essay traces a complex, entwined rise and fall of various emphases. At certain moments, as in the early 19th century, essays celebrate the experiences and personalities of their authors, while at others, as during the Read More …

Chinese, 773-819   Liu Zongyuan achieved his reputation as a master essayist mainly because of his accomplishments in guwen (ancient prose). In its literary sense, guwen refers primarily to the prose style of the Confucian classics as well as to Read More …