Essay vs. Literature

[6furbabies]

Hi! I am having to write an essay on whether I agree that writing an essay and writing a piece of literature are very similar. I realize that an essay is your opinion & ideas on a piece of literature, but there are many different types of literature. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

[PeterL]

Hi! I am having to write an essay on whether I agree that writing an essay and writing a piece of literature are very similar. I realize that an essay is your opinion & ideas on a piece of literature, but there are many different types of literature. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

You might simply point out that an essay is a form of literature. If I were assigned to write that, I would very politely make it clear that I didn't think very highly of the person who gave the assignment.

[tiny explorer]

Yap!essay is a form of literature it can't be summed up!

[kaka]

There are many different kinds of essay. I'm not sure that all of them count as "literary", beyond the very obvious point that they should be fully structured from start to finish. For example, most academic essays (if written well) are essentially reports and are very different from, say, Francis Bacon's essays.

It's worth being cautious about the 'argument from structure'. After all, a student once told me he'd been dreading reading a particular scholarly book, but had eventually set aside a whole week-end (plus) to read it. He started reading the book at 10a.m. on Saturday and soon found himself 'swept along' and completely absorbed by the book. He had difficulty tearing himself away for lunch. He returned to the book after lunch, had further very brief breaks for tea and supper - and finished reading the book at about 9.30pm. It was a scholarly work but was also fully structured from start to finish. It seized the (informed) reader's attention and aroused his or her sympathies. Moreover, at the end he had a good overview of the issues and arguments. In order words, he'd retained the essentials without having to make more a a few short notes. It was, he said, quite a remarkable experience. However, would one describe such a work of scholarship as a literary work too?

I'd suggest reading some essays that don't make any scholarly claims, but that are the product of thought and observation and that are in some sense very obviously personal statements by the author. You could start with a couple of Bacon's essays and perhaps one or two by Montaigne, too.

[Aurora Ariel]

I agree that there are various "types" of essays, not just a purely "literary" one.You have to remember than there is both fiction and non-fiction, plus autobiographical works and later author biographies.
Some subjects are not actually described as "literary" if they are done for a science class, and the objective is to write about evolutionary biology or physics and quantum mechanics; and include mathematical equations and further calculations.It's quite different to writing about your thoughts on a story you just read, which may include actual quotes from the book or author.Academics can write essays for students and researchers or review another piece of writing.If really depends what the main focus of the essay is, which can include: analytical responses to fictional works(a novel studied at school for instance or a collection of poems), the results of empirical research(a detailed scientific study and experimentation), theoretical science, a philosophical writing, essays about a political treatise, and a historical essay-which highlights a particular epoch or past political or social figures.

[kaka]

Something about that reference to 'mathematical equations' tickles and intrigues me. My guess is that some highly unconventional creative writer somewhere has tried to include an equation or two in a literary work, if only as a gimmick. :)

[PeterL]

Equations and syllogisms are very useful in writing fictions, especially syllogisms.

[Mark F.]

I'd say essays are closer to journalism in style than to literature, more explicative. Of course, some essays are literary and some novels aren't so it really depends (on the way it's written among other things).