Essay - what kind of genre is it?

In modern literature there is a huge number of genres in which you can sometimes get confused. That this does not happen, you should clearly distinguish them. One of the often met - essays. What is it, many learn at school.

Characteristics of the genre

Essays - a word borrowed from the French language (essai), in translation means an essay, an attempt, a test. In Russian literature this is the name for a small prose work, written in free form. By analyzing the concept of "essays" in more detail, what kind of genre is it, you can call it a composition that expresses the author's personal attitude and his opinion of what he describes. At the same time, the writer gives an opportunity to experience his experiences, emotions and thoughts. However, it is not necessarily the author's words that treat the chosen topic fully and exhaustively. Writing an essay can be reflected in the form of a story, confession, essay, writing, article, speech, diary. The boundaries of this genre are rather conditional and blurred.

A bit of history

Especially popular was the essay in the 18th-19th centuries. During this period it became one of the main genres in French and English journalism. The greatest development of essays was contributed by R. Rolland, J. Orwell, H. Wells, G. Heine, B. Shaw, T. Mann, A. Morua. We can say with certainty that she used special attention in Europe. In Russian classical literature, an essay was not very popular. What this is, more fully can be understood from the few works. So, for example, Pushkin addressed this genre in his work "Journey from Moscow to Petersburg", Dostoevsky in "Diary of a Writer". In the twentieth century A. Bely, V. Ivanov, V. Rozanov, and a little later A. Solzhenitsyn, K. Paustovsky, I. Ehrenburg, Yu. Olesha, M. Tsvetaeva, F. Iskander addressed the essay writing.

Special Features

Considering the question: "Essay - what kind of genre is it and how does it differ from others?", One can not help but mention its distinctive features. This is an essay that surprises with a completely new look at the subject. The work is characterized by imagery, which enriches it, makes it more picturesque and vivid. In it, interesting details are painted and emphasized, and the author's thought sometimes takes such paradoxical turns that it simply amazes the reader. Particular lyricism imbued with an essay on "Life." After all, everyone has a different idea about her, quite different from the author's. However, the text is literally imbued with a trusting intonation, which engenders the reader unimaginable, completely fresh and unusual associations.

The creators of such essays differ from their colleagues from other literary genres. You can say about every talented author who writes an essay that he is a real master who can very competently select quotes, rhetorical questions, it is amazing to use metaphors, aphorisms, comparisons. The author of the essay is able to combine amazingly in one work different styles - from scientific to spoken. In doing so, he puts his soul into the work, and therefore, having read, one can understand not only the position of the writer, but also learn about his interests, look into his inner world.