Title Highlight: Encyclopedia of the Essay

Encyclopedia of the Essay

1 volume: List of entries, Title Index, General Index

This encyclopedia attempts to categorize and explore the little known literary discipline of essay writing. The definition of essay used by the book is a short nonfiction prose text that does not seek to definitely explain subjects, but rather to explore a topic or topics, raising questions and pushing the boundary of ideas beyond the usual, somewhat in the nature of some 21st century blogs. Essays are often personal in nature, reflecting the ideas of the writer and written in a way to appeal to a larger audience of non-specialists.

The primary focus of the book is the European-American written tradition, although entries on the essays of other cultures can be found. There is information on the careers and writings of such essayists as Frederick Douglass, James Thurber, and Oscar Wilde. Short biographical notes giving birth and death details are added at the end of each personal entry.

Also included are descriptions of a number of magazines devoted to the essay such as the New Yorker and descriptions of the essay traditions found in various countries. At the end of each article is a list of selected writings, a bibliography and suggestions for further reading. The Preface to the book gives a good introduction to the essay and reasons that this genre could and should be studied further.