Lifelong friends
? The difference between essays and essays
Selection of "subject matter": Essays mostly criticize current affairs and criticize current ills, including historical figures and events, etc. , often "see the big in the small"; "essays" use "softer" and "lighter" materials than essays, and often "see the interesting in the small".
The difference in "style of writing": Essays are "sharp", often killing people with an inch of steel, and "one blow" can kill powerful enemies. As the saying goes, "laughing, anger and curses all become articles"; "Essays" are He is more "casual", often speaks calmly, is gentle and elegant, and never loses his "gentlemanly" demeanor.
The "language" is different: essays mostly use "sarcasm", which is more pungent; "essays" promote "humor", which is more interesting and pleasant.
Essays and "essays" are very close sisters. They have fought side by side in "ideological enlightenment", but they are inseparable from each other in "class struggle". In fact, "essays" can naturally only be classified as essays, and their "identities" (such as emphasizing reasoning, focusing on individuality, and rich intellectual interest, etc.) are far greater than their "differences." We might even think of it this way: essays are hard "essays"; essays are soft "essays".
The difference between essays and prose
"Essay" focuses on "reason" and is reasoning, "talking" and relatively calm; while prose focuses on "emotion" and is lyrical , showing "free" color, more enthusiastic.
"Essays" face life, savor the flavor of life, and emphasize philosophical insights; while prose faces the heart, reveals the mysteries of human nature, and emphasizes life experience.
"Essays" emphasize "cultural" taste, and reading them can increase people's wisdom and make people endlessly interesting; while prose advocates the depth of "humanity", and reading them can open up the spirit and purify people's souls.
So prose and essays, put together, are a stylistic category. "Prose Essay", there is little that separates them. Some of them put together "essays". Theoretical circles always call essays a type of prose. Therefore, it is understandable that readers tend to confuse them.
About the accurate concept of essay. The explanation of "Cihai" is: "Essay is one of the literary genres and a kind of prose. It is casual writing and eclectic writing. Since the Song Dynasty in China, this name has also been used for miscellaneous notes about what has happened. Since the May Fourth Movement, essays have been very popular. It is generally characterized by the use of narratives and discussions, with various forms, short and lively."
There are also different opinions on the characteristics of essays. In terms of form, it is still the same as that of "Cihai". The explanation shall prevail. Essays, firstly, casually, secondly, notes. That is, the literary style of writing down what you feel and think at any time. Judging from the reflected content, ideological, intellectual and social nature are its essential characteristics.
Some people start from the essay writer’s way of thinking and propose that non-systematic, idle writing, wit, irony and humor are the five aesthetic characteristics of the artistic expression of modern Chinese essays. This is summarized from its expression techniques.
Some people think that ideologicality is the core of essays, and randomness is its external manifestation. These arguments are understandable.
Yu Guangyuan's explanation is: "Essays are free pens, and freedom means freedom." This is summarized from its style.
There are also several types of essays. There are cultural essays, economic essays, philosophical essays, film and television essays, calligraphy and painting essays, reading essays, leisure essays, etc. If divided by the way of expression, there are: narrative essays, argumentative essays, explanatory essays, landscape essays, object-like essays, etc.
Essays are becoming more and more widespread, almost overflowing
Firstly, many authors have confused the boundaries and differences between prose and essays. An article is called an essay in this medium, but in That medium is also called essay. If you think about it carefully, there is a difference between essays and prose. Prose emphasizes creation, allows fiction, and pays attention to artistic integrity. Essays are more casual, with many argumentative texts, and focus on the dissemination of knowledge and ideas.
The second is to make the essay omnipotent and pervasive. People in the Song Dynasty said: Wherever there is a well, there are people singing Liu Yong's poems. Nowadays, wherever there is writing, there is also an essay. The essays range from astronomy, geography, humanities and society, to family gossip, trivial matters, travel gatherings, etc.
Ba Jin once opened the "Random Thoughts" column in Hong Kong's "Ta Kung Pao", advocating telling the truth, reflecting on history in the form of essays, reflecting on and criticizing oneself, creating a generational trend, and setting up a monument for the history of contemporary literature. It also inspired a large number of literary workers and set the literary tone of an era.
Bing Xin's essays are "written as they come to mind". She pays close attention to social progress and consciously assumes the responsibility of a writer, so that her essays touch upon social changes and serve as a commentator on current affairs. Today's female writers rarely have such writing styles. The confinement of essays to the circle of our private lives weakens the ideological and intellectual characteristics of essays.
Sun Li's essays inherit the literary style since Lu Xun, directly participate in and intervene in social life, write the strongest voice of the times, and make important contributions to literature in the new era. The powerful voices of these three literary predecessors who stood at the peak of the times have become models for writers to tell the truth and influenced an era that is undergoing great changes.
Later, many writers were inspired by them to join the ranks of essays, and together they created a flourishing new world of literature. But today's essays are far away from society and the times, and are just personal moaning.
Even in Western literature, essays are known for their ideological and intellectual qualities. Essays began in England and flourished especially in England. However, those essays about trivial life were not widely circulated. Instead, those essays by philosophers were translated into China.
In the late eighteenth century, a British writer, Charles Lamb, wrote two volumes of prose, titled "Essays on Iria".
Bacon was a British philosopher and a master of essay writing.
Montaigne, a Frenchman in the sixteenth century, was also a famous prose writer. Zhou Guoping was influenced by Montaigne when he wrote essays.
Of course, we should not follow anyone else's lead and imitate others. Instead, we should absorb the essence, eliminate the dross, and work hard on innovation.
Nietzsche is very popular, but if everyone imitates Nietzsche, there will be many madmen or paranoiacs. To learn from Nietzsche, you must learn from his doubts and judgments about God, as well as his bold argumentative spirit.
Nowadays, people write essays about daily life, and there is no need to assume the responsibility of a philosopher. The social nature of essays cannot be erased.
If an essay does not express thoughts, spread knowledge, or interfere with society, it is not as good as notes.
Besides, there is a difference between essays and notes. Notes are just recording what you see and read without thinking. Since there is no time to organize, it is just a raw record. If you want to organize your notes into essays, you need to go through a lot of processing and refining work from the outside to the inside, from shallow to deep. If you only record your personal mood or life in a small circle, it is better to keep a diary. Diaries are also more confidential than essays.
Essays should not be written about trivial daily life, but should be written more about rational thinking.
Because essays are originally the more thoughtful part of articles that are separated from prose.
In short, ideological, intellectual and social nature are the essential characteristics of essays. The complete separation of essays from prose can only be achieved by the argumentative prose part. No matter how narrative and lyrical prose are, they cannot be separated from prose.