1.

Baconasanessay
ist
.

INTRODUCTION:Bacon,thefat
herofEngli
shessay,i
sthefi
rstgr
eatEngli
shessayi
stwho
enjoysagl
ori
ousreputat
ion.Heremai
nsf ort
hesheermassandwei ghtofgeni
us.Hisessay
s
i
ntroduceanewform ofcompositi
onint
oEnglishl
i
terat
ure.

THREEEDI I
ONSOFBACON' SESSAYS: Baconsponsoredthisnewli
ter
aryforminEngl
ishwit
h
thepubli
cati
onofhi
st enessaysin1597.Itgr
ewtothir
ty-ei
ghtint
heediti
onof1612.The
numberreachedfi
ft
y-eighti
nthefinal
issueof1625.Theseessaysaretheresul
tsofhi
sdir
ect
observ
ationsofmenandmat t
ers.

DISPERSEDMEDI TATIONS:Baconchar gedhisessayswit

htheseri
ousspiri
tandstatel
y
manner sofSeneca.Forhim hi
sessay sweredispersedmedit
ati
onsandreceptacl
efor
detachedthoughts.Heispract
icalundertheinfl
uenceofMachiavel
l
i.Ut
il
it
ari
anism i
sobviousi
n
hi
sessay s.Heshrewdlyinst
ructshowt oleadasuccessfull
if
e.That'
swhyhisessaysarecall
ed
counselsciv
ilandmor al
.

BACONANDMONTAI GNE:Baconborrowedt hef

orm ofessayfrom Mont ai
gne,t
heFrench
essayist
.BaconandMont ai
gnesharethef or
m ofessaybutnotitsspiri
t.Montai
gneispersonal
,
famil
iarandproli
fi
c.ButBaconisformal,
curtandimpersonal.Montaigneappeal
stotheheart
butBacont othehead.Thusthesetwogreatessayi
stspresentav er
ysharpandinter
esti
ng
contr
ast.

IMPERSONALANDOBJECTI VE:Bacon'sessaysarecapsulesofimpersonalwisdom.Theymay
notgiveimmediatepl
easur
ebutgivelasti
ngguidance.Theyareobjecti
veandlogicall
y
construct
ed.Thusasanessayi
stBaconisnotfriendl
y,conf
identi
al,
inti
mateandf amili
arwi
th
thereader.Hi
sessaysaref
orthemostpar tdet
achedandi mpersonal.Thi
sconclusion
demandsr econsi
derat
ion.I
nfact
,Bacon'
sessaysbearacloseimpr
intofhi
spersonal
ity
,though
heisnotdisposedtounbendhimselfi
nhisworks.Onthi
sbasisPope'
sfoll
owi
ngst at
ementis
appreci
ated:

I
fpar
tsal
l
uret
hee,
thi
nk,
howBaconshi
ned,

Thewi
sest
,thebr
ight
estandt
hemeanestofmanki
nd.

WIDERANGEOFTOPI CS:Baconwr ot
eonawi derangeoftopi
cs.Hepassesf rom r
eli
gi onand
empiretogardensandbuil
dings.I
nMont aigneandLamb, thesubjectisuni
mpor t
antbuti n
Baconsubjectalway
sisimpor t
ant
.Hemaybeunsy stemati
cinhistreatmentbuthenev er
wandersbeyondhisbounds.Hesur passedallhiscontemporar
iesinthecapacit
ytoutter
pregnantt
houghtsonalmostanyt heme.

THEMESOFBACON' SESSAYS:Thet hemesofBacon' sessay

sarev ari
ous.Theyrangefrom
GoodnesstoGar densandfr
om Envyt oMasquesandTr i
umphs.Theessay' OfSt
udies'i
sabout
booksandreading.HereBaconexplainsreasonsandpurposeofstudy.Atthesamet imehe
suggest
sthemodesofsel ecti
ngthebooksandmannerofst udy.I
n' OfTrut
h'hesaysthatsome
mendonotcar ef ort
rut
h.Hement i
onsi t
sreasonsalso.

BACON' SSTYLE: Baconempl oyedauniquestyl

e.Thisisimpor t
antforluci
dity
,clari
ty,
economy
,
preci
sion,di
rect
ness, masculi
nit
yandmat hemati
calplainness.Hisessaysseem l i
kea
coll
ecti
onofshor tandpithymaximswi t
htremendouscompr ession.Eachsentencecanconvey
adeepandconcent rat
edmeani ng.Duetothi
s,Bacon'sstyl
eiscal l
edaphoristi
c.Bacon
consideredt
hisstylesuit
ableforthespi
ri
tofenquir
y.

Inhisearlyessaysthesentencesar
eshort
,cri
spandsentent
ious.Therearefewconnectives.
Thought hereisnocont i
nui
ty,
thereisast
rongsenseofrapi
dmov ement.AsBacon' sessaysare
argument at
iveinnature,
hisstyl
ebecomesanti
theti
cal
.Withanimparti
alai
r,hebalancesthe
opposingargument s.Therear
enumberofquot at
ionsandall
usi
onsinhisessays.
 Bacon'ssty
lechangedinthel
ateredit
ions.I
tbecamemor eel
abor
ate.Connect
iveswere
usedfr
equentlyandthestyl
ebecamel essformal
.Hisimagesandfi
gur
esofspeechar esimpl
e.
Theyclear
lystat
etheideas.Fl
exi
bil
i
ty,witandfunarealsosomeimpor
tantfeat
uresofhisst
yle.

I
nshort,Baconisaver
ygreatessay
ist.ToEngl
ishli
ter
atur
ehi
sessaysar
epri
cel
ess
acqui
sit
ions.Legoui
shasri
ghtl
yremarked'Theseessaysaret
hecl
assi
csofEngl
i
shprose'
.