Francis Bacon is often regarded as
the ‘Father of English essays’. But it is often argued whether his essays
correspond to the conventional definition of the term. This is because Bacon’s
essays have a certain distinctive characteristics which make us question the
classification of their genre.
The most notable feature of Bacon’s
essay is his aphoristic style. Aphorisms are straightforward statements that
state a truth. Bacon in his essays writes in an aphoristic style making
general statements. For example, in his essay “Of studies" Bacon states that
studies have three purposes - to delight, for ornament and for ability. Again
he says that there are different kinds of books - some are to be perused
lightly, others to be digested and so on. Bacon merely states these facts
almost as if they are established truths. He does not provide his personal
opinion or give any examples as to which books are to be read lightly or which
are to be digested. This aphoristic style in Bacon’s writing leaves the reader
to his own interpretations. Bacon uses the aphoristic style to enable the
reader's active participation allowing him to interpret and add to the meaning
of his statements. This is opposed to the magisterial style where the entire
information is provided making the reader lazy and passive.
Another important feature of Bacon’s
essays is his impersonality. Bacon’s personal choices and opinions are not
reflected through his writings. His impersonality is aided by his aphoristic
style. By providing the reader with statements of truth Bacon saves himself
from revealing his true personality. He rarely exemplifies his arguments and
when he does the examples are usually drawn from history, such as the example
of Julius Caesar and Brutus in the essay “Of Friendship”, which does not require
his personal opinion. Bacon’s personality is detached from his essays.
Bacon’s essays also display a few
other features. His essays are usually short, sometimes shorter than what the
conventional definition of essay suggests. They often lack coherence. This is
mainly because most of his essays are not divided into paragraphs and it is
difficult for the reader to grasp a sudden change from one idea to another. His
essays are observational rather than reflective. His style is very formal.
The various features of Bacon’s
essays therefore make it difficult to place his writings under the genre of
essay. But these features also do not suggest otherwise. Thus Bacon’s works are
classified as essays. In conclusion it can be said that the essays of Francis Bacon
possess distinctive features which have served to preserve his works through
the ages. His essays are studied at present not for their content but for their
style.
