What do you think?
Rate this book
50 Great Essays
From the back outside cover:
Ever since Montaigne originated the essay in 1580, it has been one of the most personal forms of expression. In this outstanding collection, fifty of the world's greatest essayists discuss their innermost thoughts and feelings about life and death, love and war, and a host of other subjects.
Here you will find Francis Bacon's pungent comments on success and D.H. Lawrence's profound reflections on the wonders and terrors of nature. Here are H.L. Mencken's insidiously written observations on women, John Donne's reflections on the prospect of death, Rainer Maria Rilke's comments on the destructive effects of children's dolls, and forty-five other essays which have been chosen for their originality, their lasting interest and their unique revelation of the author's inner self.
Ever since Montaigne originated the essay in 1580, it has been one of the most personal forms of expression. In this outstanding collection, fifty of the world's greatest essayists discuss their innermost thoughts and feelings about life and death, love and war, and a host of other subjects.
Here you will find Francis Bacon's pungent comments on success and D.H. Lawrence's profound reflections on the wonders and terrors of nature. Here are H.L. Mencken's insidiously written observations on women, John Donne's reflections on the prospect of death, Rainer Maria Rilke's comments on the destructive effects of children's dolls, and forty-five other essays which have been chosen for their originality, their lasting interest and their unique revelation of the author's inner self.
- GenresEssays
406 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1964
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Read
May 31, 2024The Best Essay Awards go to: Borges, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jon Donne, Montaigne (of course), and the one about insomnia by Loren Eiseley. E.B. White on new home ownership was comical. Woolf on the course of a moth charming, and both were sweet conclusions. Leo Tolstoy in a few short paragraphs suggests one of the major tracks of literary history. I would have to do research to see where this essay sits in the sequence of Marxist literary theory canon, but I do believe his idea that no event (including The War of 1812), is caused by one thing, but in full is situated in the confluence of forces that history is.
What I have learned is that essays are personal, opinion, loosely informed and not necessarily fortified with evidence. They represent the lessons of a person and reveal the universal from the particular. It is an ok approach to simply tell your story.
It is only momentarily embarrassing to acknowledge that I forgot, over and over again that I was reading a book organized alphabetically, from the first page to the last. I supposed it helped me remain thorough and persistent in reading the book to completion.
What I have learned is that essays are personal, opinion, loosely informed and not necessarily fortified with evidence. They represent the lessons of a person and reveal the universal from the particular. It is an ok approach to simply tell your story.
It is only momentarily embarrassing to acknowledge that I forgot, over and over again that I was reading a book organized alphabetically, from the first page to the last. I supposed it helped me remain thorough and persistent in reading the book to completion.
July 1, 2014
I have read only the essays of the authors I knew and in all cases has been a pleasant discovery.
Alcuni di questi saggi non li ho letti, mi sono dedicata soltanto a quelli di cui conoscevo l'autore ed in tutti i casi é stata una piacevolissima scoperta.
Alcuni di questi saggi non li ho letti, mi sono dedicata soltanto a quelli di cui conoscevo l'autore ed in tutti i casi é stata una piacevolissima scoperta.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews