1

3.Char
lesLambasanessay
ist
.

Charl
esLambi sashini
ngstari
ntheskyofEnglishessay
.Hei scall
edthepri
nceamongEngl i
sh
essay
ist
s.Hisessaysarethefi
nestinEngl
ishprose.Hebroughttoprosethefi
nestquali
ti
esof
Romanti
cism.Lamb'sreadersappreci
atehimf orhi
swisdom,f orhishumanit
y,forhisgenial
humour,f
orhisprof
oundpathos,f
orhissweettemperamentandf orhi
sstyl
e.

BEGINNING:Borni
nal owercl
assfamil
y,Lambcamei ncontactwithColeri
dge.Hestart
edhi s
careerasapoetbutcouldnotsucceed.Heacquiredimmortalr
ecogniti
onasanessay i
st.Fr
om
1820t o1833,essaywriti
ngwashismai noccupati
on.Hewr oteunderthepseudonym ofElia.
Hisfir
stessayappearedintheLondonMagazi nein1820.Thef i
rstvol
umeofhi sessayswas
publi
shedin1823asEssay sOfEli
aandt hesecondast heLastEssay sOfEli
ain1833.Each
essayofLambi sal i
ttl
ewonder.Herewef indaf i
necombinati
onofwi t,f
ancy,anecdoteand
refl
ecti
on.Accor
dingtoCazamian,
heisabov eall
anarti
st.

PERSONAL AND AUTOBI OGRAPHI CAL ELEMENT: Lamb' s essay s are per sonal and
autobiographi
cal.Theyreflecthisnobili
tyofhissoul ,hi
sgoodnat ure,hi
ssi mpli
cit
y ,
hisgeniali
ty
andhi scharit
y.Lambt alksabouthi srelat
ives,f
riendsandacquai ntances.Buthei ssil
entabout
themur derofhi smot herf orthesakeofhi ssister.Itwasshewhoki l
ledLamb' smot her.He
oftenchangest henameofhi srelat
ionsandmy sti
fi
est hechar acterbybl endingfactswi th
fi
ction.Suchdev i
ati
onsdonotal terthet r
uth.Hei sfri
endlyandi nti
mat ewithther eader.He
takeshi mi nt
ohi sconfidenceonpr i
v ateaffai
rs.Hef rankl
ytellsusabouthi schi l
dhood,hi s
boy hood and hi s manhood.Thr oughouthi s essay s he remai ns uniquely personaland
autobiographi
cal.Hishumani t
yisv i
sibleeverywher e.Thought heessay sar eautobiographical
,
Lambnev ergivestheimpressionofbei ngv ainorpr oud.Heisgr eatestegoistwithoutthetouch
ofegot i
sm.

VARIETYOFTHEME:Lamb' sessay sexhibitinfinitevari

ety.Her eisGod'splenty
.Hi sessays
sati
sfyt heappet i
teofev erytaste.Inhisessay sLambr evealshimself.Heisav i
suali
serof
memor ies.Hi sessaysgiveagl i
mpsei ntohisl i
feandt hought.Theessay'Dream Chi l
dren'i
s
notedfori tsautobi
ographicaldescri
pti
on.Itisar ever
ie.Ther easonbehindt
hecr eati
onoft hi
s
essayist hedeat hofhisbr otherJohn.I tunv eilstheaut hor'
ssoul.Itisfullofpathos.'A
Bachelor'sCompl aint
'isalsoanaut obiographicalandhumor ousessay.HereLambdescr i
bes
vari
ousoddi t
iesofthemar ri
edcouples.
 2

HUMOURANDPATHOS:Asahumor istLambi sunsur passablei nEngl i

shprose.Ther eisno
humor i
stmor e or
igi
nalt han Lamb.Hi s st ylei s an expression ofhi s humour .He of t
en
i
nt er
ruptedagr avedi scussi
onwi thal ightj est.Hisessay sar emar kedwi thallshadesof
humourand del i
catei r
ony.Puns,absur d detail
s,f unnysi t
uationsand boi st
erousl aughter
usuallyoccurinhisessay s.Thereareev enhar ml essst r
okesoff unathi m andatot hers.The
elementofhumouri sbalancedwi t
hat ingeofsadnessandav einofr efl
ecti
veness.Pathosi s
anessent i
alaspectofhi shumour .Iti
saconsci ousnessoft hepat heticinli
fethatmadehi m
l
augh.Hel aughedtosav ehimselffrom weepi ng.Nost algi
aandwi st
fullongi
ngof tenunder l
ie
hislaughter.Inshort,Lamb'shumouri sabl endofj estandt ears.'TheDr eam Children'is
remar kabl
eforit
sblendofhumourandpat hos.

LAMB' SSTYLE:Lamb' sstyl

ei stheexpr essi
onofhi spersonali
ty.Hisstyleisinimitable.His
essay shav ethechar m ofpoet r
y.Conversati
onalease, epigr
ammat icdepth,emot i
onalflexibi
l
ity
,
remi niscentallusiv
enessal lmar kt heessaysofEl i
a.Lamb' sstyl
ei snaturalandor i
ginal.Hei s
remar kablyinfluencedbyt he17t hcenturywr i
ter
slikeBr own,BurtonandFul l
er.Heof tenused
obsol etelati
nisedwor ds.Al l
usivenessisamar kedfeat ureofhisstyl
e.Heof tenquotesf rom the
oldwr it
erstoexpr esshi sfeeli
ngs.Lambmakesf r equentuseofi ronyandpun.J.C.Powy s
wr i
tes,'Eli
a'
sst yleistheonl ythi
ngi nEngli
shproset hatcanbecal l
edabsol utel
yperfect.'

CONCLUSI ON:ThusLambi st hefinestandmostchar mingofall Engli

shessay i
sts.Hebr
ought
perfecti
ontoartofessaywr i
ting.ItisLambwhocombi nesallt
heessent i
alelementsofessay
wri
ting inhisessay swi t
h greatar ti
sti
cexcell
ence.I n short
,Lamb' sessay shav ebeen a
perennialsour
ceofi nter
estanddel i
ghttoal
lther eadersofEngl i
shlit
eratur
e.Lambr emains
oneoft hebest-
lovedessayistsofEngl ishl
it
eraturenotonl yf ort henobili
tyofhi sl
if
eand
gentlenessofheartbutal
soforpr oducingabodyofl i
ter
atureuniquei nvalue.