Let essayists come out of the closet

It is unfortunate that people no longer write essays. They write articles, stories or just 'pieces'. A journalist is often asked to write a 'story', 'piece' or a 'colour piece' by his editor. However, if somebody writes a poor story or piece it is often condemned as a 'school girl's essay.' That means essentially we have publicly acknowledged the passing of the familiar essay.

Most of my earlier contributions to newspapers and magazines came back with rejection slips. In fact, once I received a rejection slip with the words: "No essays, please."

A well-known mass communication educator tells me that essays are no saleable commodities. He says readers have no time to read essays. Therefore, let us write stories and pieces instead of essays. However, one should know the difference between an essay and a story in order to become a successful writer.

Suppose you begin your story in this way: "Newspeak was the official language of Oceania and had been devised to meet the ideological needs of Ingsoc, or English Socialism," no live-wire editor would read it any further. He might throw it to the nearest dustbin simply because it sounds like a familiar essay.

However, if you really want to see what you write in print, you might begin: "Language is an expanding canvas. But newspeak has been designed to diminish the range of thought. For instance, you can say 'this dog is free from lice.' But you cannot use the term 'politically free' because political freedom no longer exists even as a concept. Sometimes an editor will sit up and take notice of such a story.

What is important here is that both the editor and the reader would feel that what they are reading is not mere literature but the real low down on something or other. As one wag put it there are researchers who have an in-depth knowledge of a subject, but do not write.

Then there are writers who do not posses an in-depth knowledge in any subject but keep on turning out stories. As a result, when a researcher happens to write a story to a newspaper it is usually rejected. Most newspapers and magazine editors now go for 'devastating' or 'fabulous' stories.

They seem to think readers need to be shocked or entertained. In fact, once the 'Asiaweek' ran a story with the headline 'Greeks get their hack together'. The headline compels you to read the story.

Here's the opening paragraph: "Guerrilla geeks of the world unite! Whether it's Vietnamese student techies taking on the state, South Koreans trying to rewrite Japanese history, anti-globalisation protesters pinching presidential credit cards or the latest Web wars between American and Chinese zealots, hackers are getting highly organised. And potentially dangerous."

With the gradual death of the essay we have lost one whole subject. In essays writers were able to discuss pros and cons of a given subject without having the need to shock the reader.

A well-written essay, unlike a story, can discuss human problems from many angles encompassing legal, psychological and sociological views. Sometimes stories are written on child abuse or Aids by people who have had no personal experience in those areas.

They very rarely express their personal reactions to their subjects. Apart from being a prolific novelist, D.H. Lawrence has left and abundance of essays many of which were never printed or at least collected in book form until after his death.

These essays, however, still remain unknown to the non-specialist reading public. Although the very word 'essay' implies something formal and academic, Lawrence's essays were brilliantly varied.

They were intensely personal and spontaneous. Here are some excerpts from his well-known essay: "Sex versus loveliness" written in 1928.

"Now sex and beauty are one thing, like flame and fire. If you hate sex you hate beauty. If you love living beauty, you have a reverence for sex. Of course, you can love old, dead beauty and hate sex. But to love living beauty you must have a reverence for sex."

"Whenever the sex-fire glows through, it will kindle an answer somewhere or other. It may only kindle a sense of warmth and optimism. Then you say: "I like that girl, she's a real good sort." It may kindle a glow that makes the world look kindlier, and life feel better. Then you say: "She's an attractive woman. I like her."

Addison and Goldsmith were two outstanding essayists who shaped modern English prose. Addison was the correct, prim and rather a cold man of the world. Goldsmith on the contrary, was a warm-hearted, improvident and a wild Irishman. While Addison succeeded as a politician, Goldsmith gave up medicine to pursue a literary career.

Of course, it was Bacon who started the line of English essayists in the 17th century. However, is essays tended to be a string of maxims. Abraham Cowley, one of Bacon's contemporaries, wrote in a mood of personal reminiscence. But his essays were cluttered with quotations.

An intimate tone is considered to be a characteristic of the true essay. In this respect Addison's essays stand out with their lucidity and simplicity. According to one critic the purpose of writing essays is to bring philosophy out of closets and libraries.

The average reader either does not have the time or the inclination to pore over volumes on literature or philosophy. Therefore, a good essayist has the arduous task of introducing the collective wisdom of humanity to readers.

Those who would care to read some of the essays written by Bacon, Addison or Goldsmith will have to grapple with some archaic words and phrases. However, recent editions of such essays have been modernised.

Let me conclude this 'story' with an excerpt from an essay written by Goldsmith and aptly titled 'On mad dogs."

"The manner of knowing whether a dog be mad or not somewhat resembles the ancient European custom of trying witches. The old woman suspected was tied hand and foot and thrown into the river. If she swam, then she was instantly carried off to be burnt for a witch if she sunk, then indeed she was acquitted of the charge, but drowned in the experiment.

In the same manner a crowd gather round a dog suspected of madness, and they begin by teasing the devoted animal on every side.

If he attempts to stand upon the defensive and bite, then he is unanimously found guilty, for "a mad dog always snaps at everything," if, on the contrary he strives to escape by running away, then he can expect no compassion, for 'mad dogs always run straight forward before them.'