An essay in literature is one of the purest forms of expression. It's a type of writing where the author has the power to dictate the flow and define the object of their message. Unlike other forms of academic writing, essays in literature have no specific limits on creativity and industry. The author has the freedom to demonstrate their artistic prowess and appeal to the reader's emotions. While most academic assignments have definitive instructions, essays in literature have a broad scope. The professor is more interested in the art of expression, the writer's ability to convey a thought or feeling in a unique perspective and appeal to the audience's emotions.
Despite the absence of restrictive instructions for writing, a good student must demonstrate style and formatting abilities. The essay’s organization must also meet your university’s standards of writing. Most importantly, one should adopt a simplistic approach in their creative journey. Although the art of expression implies the ability to create an emotional appeal to your work, adopting a specific form of writing allows the author to capture a subset of the audience. In the education sector, this strategy is the surest way to earning the best grade.
The art of expression in academia
In academia, the art of expression is slightly limited to the professor’s expectation. Your audience is one individual with specific interests. Learning your professor’s expectations is key to your writing. Thus, your objective must be to demonstrate creative thinking and logical reasoning. Your professor will be more interested in your ability to follow instructions as much as your creative prowess. As a result you must employ varying writing styles and incorporate rhetoric to make your work more appealing. While your objective is to express an opinion, thoughts, or research findings, the style you chose should conform with the tutor’s instructions.
The artistic aspect of expression in academia is best suited for literary academic work. From an essay definition in literature to lengthy thesis and dissertation in creative writing, this form of expression resembles an expression of literary work with unlimited scope. The student presents a composition of ideas or unique arguments, to demonstrate their understanding of the topic of interest. In some cases, the professor may limit the work to an analysis of a literary work to gauge the learners comprehension abilities. The tutor can also create contextual limits to narrow the focus and reduce the scope. Regardless of the instructions, an essay in literature is an art of expression. It only becomes academic due to the need for research and adherence to specific instructions for writing. The student must also adopt a specific form of writing to appeal to the tutor’s logic, emotions, and ethics.
Forms of essays in literature
1. Descriptive essay
The descriptive essay is the best answer to what is an essay in literature definition. It's a perfect example of an art of expression in literature. A descriptive essay prompts students to describe an object, creating a vivid image in the reader’s mind. It can be an in depth description of a people’s culture, an account about their history, or a detailed article about an event. Although the author may choose to apply the scientific method, a descriptive essay is not a science. It's an art whose research is mainly qualitative. The writer focuses on a single subject, detailing its primary characteristics and key components. When describing a person, one might focus on a specific aspect or concept associated with the person. For instance, a descriptive essay about a celebrity may address the individual’s personality, achievements, or even quotes. However, the main argument of the article should not deviate from the subject.
2. Persuasive essay
The primary objective of a persuasive essay, like the name suggests, is to persuade the reader to accept a given perspective. In that case, the author presents an argument, thought, idea, aiming to appeal to the audience to consider it. This genre is designed to capture the reader's attention with an elaborate logical explanation about the subject. As a result, the author must use rhetoric, particularly logos to make the content more appealing and believable. Researchers often use in-text citations to support their arguments with evidence from external sources. The credibility of the argument depends on the author's ability to justify any assumptions made and incorporate reliable evidence. Information from renowned scholars increases the validity of a persuasive essay by building its logical appeal.
3. Expository essay
An expository is also a meaningful example of an essay in literature definition. It requires in depth research on the subject to create a broader database and analyze different perspectives. The author communicates a developing perspective about a given topic, with no intention to convince. As a result, the writer describes the methodology used to reach a conclusion and illustrate its generalizability or possibility of replication. For instance, an expository essay can even be a structured guide on how to cite a TED talk or organize a reference page. The idea is to guide the reader through a process and create a replicable approach. This genre is most commonly used in professional writing services, research institutes, and academic institutions.
4. Narrative essay
Unlike a descriptive essay, a narrative essay does not stop at giving a description. This genre’s objective is to entertain and inform. The author does not attempt to convince the audience or communicate a new perspective. Instead, a narrative essay describes an account of an event in history or an imaginary dimension. Its information is not based on research, and the writing has no definitive structure. Entertainers do not use external sources to justify their assumptions. In fact, they might choose unrealistic settings and figures to invoke the readers' wild imaginations. Hence a narrative essay is the purest form of the art of expression in literature. The writer defines and organizes the subjects, including the characters and the setting. The writer must use stylistic devices such as irony and onomatopoeia to make the story more interesting.
Personal and Impersonal Essays
Despite adopting a specific form and style of writing, an expressionist must also choose a perspective. A personal essay incorporates the writer as a character in the essay. The author describes, narrates, or seeks to persuade the reader based on their personal understanding or view of the subject. On the other hand, an impersonal essay tells the story from an observer’s perspective. The author adopts a second or third person’s worldview distancing their lives from the story. However, one may choose to include a paragraph about the writer, although this may not form part of the essay. Hence, personal and impersonal essays also fit the definition of essay in literature. Besides, these forms or writing define different types of writers.
