the art of the essay HUM chap 8

What form of literary genere is unfettered by the rules of form and style?

an essay

Essays can be?

argumentative, lyrical, humorous, epistolary, or historic

essays can address any theme?

true

they can be experimented like or the poem or traditonal like the

micro essays or academic five paragraph essay

essays can draw on?

facts or history and science or the fancy of art, music, and the writers dreams. Letters, commencement addresses, and blog posts can all qualify as essays

the father of the essay

michel de montaigne

montaigne was a

wealthy french civil servant whose father made the families fortune fighting in the french army in Italy for Francois I

his father admired italian culture and hired?

a tutor to teach his son latin and insisted that this be the language spoken at home

montagne grew up reading

virgil ovid and horace

the word essay comes from the french verb?

essayer which means to attempt or to try at the age of 37 moatigne retired to the family chateu and set up a libary where he spent his days making attempts at understanding the human condition

montaigne established the guiding principle of the form in his three bolume publication known as?

essasies in 1580

he chose to qrite in the vernacular, french rather than the academic language at the time which was latin. his tone and language is casual and conversational becuase?

he wanted his work to be accessible to everyone

montiagne believed that individual truthss reflected?

universal truths and he hoped that by sharing his memories opinion and ideas he could connect with others

HE WROTE SHORT PIECES IN HOPES of moving the reader in asignle setting, his essays distilled a concept to its corecomponent and he?

tackled a wide range of subjects from idelness and lying to drunkdness andthumbsq

the key to form for montagine was to tell a true story based on?

direct personal experience in an adredissibke kanguae

the tatler 1709 and the spectator in 1711 were the first?

daily joirnalistic publications that cultivaited the art of the essay by critiquing society for a literate middle class readership

richard seele founded the tatler and then he and his friend joseph addison a famous assyest and playright founded

the spectator

instead of being elve reflective like motiagne they tirned their attention outward anbd created?

literary personas like mr spectatr who obseved society and tattled on people they clebrated and critiqued their peers

precursor to new yorkers or

harpers

an essay must reflect what?

artistole refered to as ethos, the moral character of the author one reason other trust the essayist is because they are willing to expose their own uncertainty or weakness

an essay mjsut attempt to represent a universal truth to the?

reader it must therfore move betond the personal concern of the author to engage the wider world

essyas must take into account the reason their topic is?

relavanet to others. this is different fro you kooky uncle recylcing the same personal antedotes every thanksgiving dinnerq

do not follow a?

formula or outinleien when wiritng ane ssyam it is a mental walkabout

essayist msut tell the truth the narrator of the story msut be

reliable

What is the main message of “This Is Water”?

Consciously choose how you think, interpret experiences, and treat others

What does the fish parable symbolize?

Important realities can be so familiar that we fail to notice them.

What does Wallace mean by “learning how to think”?

Choosing what to pay attention to and how to interpret the world.

What is the “default setting”?

Our automatic tendency to center the world around ourselves and our needs.

What is the “default setting”?

Our automatic tendency to center the world around ourselves and our needs.

Why does Wallace emphasize self-awareness?

It helps us question assumptions and choose more thoughtful perspectives

What lesson does the supermarket example teach?

Everyday frustrations are opportunities to practice patience and empathy.

How can perspective change an experience?

Considering others’ circumstances can replace judgment with understanding.

What does Wallace suggest about certainty?

We should question our assumptions because our interpretations may be mistaken.

What does Wallace mean when he says everyone worships something?

Everyone organizes life around something they treat as most valuable.

What is Wallace’s idea of true freedom?

Awareness, self-discipline, and the ability to care about others.

What is the central theme of “The Death of the Moth”?

The struggle between the powerful force of life and the inevitability of death.

What is the tone at the beginning of the essay?

What is the tone at the beginning of the essay?

What is the main contrast in the essay?

The energy and vitality of life versus the overwhelming power of death.

What is the effect of describing a tiny moth in great detail?

It turns an ordinary observation into a profound reflection on existence.

What does the moth symbolize?

The universal life force and the vulnerability of living beings.

How does the tone change near the end?

It becomes somber, reflective, and filled with awe at death’s power.

What literary device gives the moth human-like qualities?

Personification, which presents the moth as if it has human feelings or intentions.

Why does Woolf describe the natural world outside her window?

To contrast the abundance of life with the moth’s fragile existence.

What does the moth’s struggle to move symbolize?

The instinctive determination of living things to continue living.

Why is the moth’s death significant to Woolf?

It reveals how even a tiny creature’s struggle reflects a universal conflict.

Born to an affluent family in South Kensington, London.

Virginia Woolf was the

seventh of eight children.

Her mother, Julia Stephen,was born in India modeled for

several pre-Raphaelite painters. Her father, Leslie Stephen,

came from a distinguished intellectual family. He was a

celebrated essayist

her parents had four children together but

this was the second marriage for both of them. Her father had

a daughter from his previous marriage and her mother had

two sons and a daughter.

Her brothers were educated at Cambridge but she and her

sisters were homeschooled in the classics. Her parents were

free-thinkers and her father had an

normous library and she

was a passionate reader. She eventually attended King’s

College where she studied history and the classics. Her

legendary essay, “A Room of One’s Own”, was inspired by her

feelings as an outsider in academic insitutions.

Her mother died when she was 15 years old and Virginia was

devastated. Two years later, her sister, Stella, who was a

surrogate mother, also

died, which led to Woolf’s first mental

breakdown. She suffered from bi-polar disorder and was

hospitalized throughout her life

After the death of her father, she and her sister, Vanessa, who

was a painter, and her brothers Thoby and Adrian, moved to a

moe bohemian neighborhood, Bloomsbury, where they would

form one of the most important literary groups in history: The

Bloomsbury Group

The Bloomsbury Group

A group of London-based creatives—painters,

writers, designers, and art critics—who wanted to

escape the stuffy history of British arts and

letters

Woolf’s brother-in-law, Clive Bell, guided much of

their philosophical and aesthetic interests with

his theory of “significant forms”. He argued that

the relation of forms in a

work stirred the

imagination even when divorced from discernible

reality. Heavily influenced by Post-Impressionism

and Cubism, these artists were collaborative,

free-thinking, and experimental in both their

creative work and their personal relationships.

Woolf would be one of the pioneers of modernist

writing; perfecting the use of

interior monologue.

Woolf’s sister, Vanessa Bell, painted in the Impressionist style and

Virginia’s writing was a literary corollary to this

visual artform

She was less concerned with plot than with capturing a fleeting

moment. One of her biographers was Nigel Nicholson, who knew

Virginia well because he was the son of her closest friend and

lover, Vita Sackville-West. Nicolson said small talk was

impossible

for Virginia—even with children. He remembered hunting for

butterflies with her one day and she asked him for a detailed

report on his morning, including the quality of the sun that had

awakened him, and whether he had first put on his right or left

sock while dressing.“It was a lesson in observation, but it was also

a hint,” he wrote many years later. “‘Unless you catch ideas on the

wing and nail them down, you will soon cease to have any.’ It was

advice that I was to remember all my life.”

vanessa bell was?

She was primarily interested in time, memory, and the association

of ideas.

• Patterns, repetitions of images and memories and words structure

her novels.

• She was an expert at capturing the notion that it is the

inconsequential moments in life that form the basis of identity.

• Her most celebrated works include the novels To the Lighthouse

and Mrs. Dalloway; the essay, A Room of One’s Own, The Death of

the Moth, and A Mark on the Wall, and numerous works of

literary criticism

Dearest,

I feel certain I am going mad again. I feel we can't

go through another of those terrible times. And I

shan't recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and

I can't concentrate. So I am doing what seems the

best thing to do. You have given me the greatest

possible happiness. You have been in every way all

that anyone could be. I don't think two people could

have been happier till this terrible disease came. I

can't fight any longer. I know that I am spoiling your

life, that without me you could work. And you will I

know. You see I can't even write this properly. I

can't read. What I want to say is I owe all the

happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely

patient with me and incredibly good. I want to say

that - everybody knows it. If anybody could have

saved me it would have been you. Everything has

gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I

can't go on spoiling your life any longer.

I don't think two people could have been happier than we

have been.

it is hope that drives?

rage

German philospher theodore adoro said the most dangerous man in America was ?

walt disney, and the reason is because he was the prime agent of hope, rage and bitterness

Why does de Botton argue that anger often comes from hope?

Unrealistic expectations create frustration when reality fails to meet them.

What does de Botton mean by finding a “good enough” person?

Accepting an imperfect partner rather than expecting to find the perfect one.

Why do people struggle to understand their own flaws?

Others often withhold honest criticism, leaving us unaware of our weaknesses

How does de Botton define addiction?

A pattern of behavior used to avoid uncomfortable thoughts, emotions, or self-knowledge.

What are anxious and avoidant responses to vulnerability?

Anxious people become demanding; avoidant people hide their need for others.

Why does de Botton describe love as a skill?

Love requires learning communication, understanding, patience, and generosity.

What is the difference between loving and being loved?

Being loved means receiving care; loving means actively understanding and caring for another.

What is psychological maturity in a relationship?

Recognizing that someone can have both admirable qualities and serious flaws.

Why might people choose partners who make them unhappy?

Familiar relationship patterns from childhood can feel more natural than healthier ones.

Why is compromise important in love

Compatibility develops through accepting differences and accommodating each other’s imperfections.

Why does de Botton say romantic hope can cause bitterness?

Idealized expectations make real relationships feel disappointing

Why does society make realistic expectations about love difficult

Romantic industries and stories encourage inflated expectations.

Why might strangers recognize our flaws better than we do?

They can observe our behavior without the biases of affection or familiarity.

Why might friends avoid pointing out our flaws?

They may prefer a pleasant relationship over uncomfortable honesty

Why might parents struggle to explain our flaws?

Their love for us can make direct criticism difficult.

Why are former partners a potential source of self-knowledge?

They have experienced our relationship behavior closely, even if they never explain it.

Why does self-knowledge matter for relationships?

Understanding ourselves helps us relate to others more effectively.

What makes vulnerability difficult in romantic relationships?

Admitting dependence and emotional need can feel humiliating or unsafe.

How might anxious attachment disguise a need for reassurance?

Through complaints and strict demands instead of asking whether one is loved.

How might avoidant attachment undermine trust?

A person hides their need for closeness precisely when they feel vulnerable.

What is the danger of expecting love to be instinctive?

Following feelings alone can lead to poor relationship decisions.

What does Melanie Klein's idea of splitting mean?

initially perceiving a person as entirely good or entirely bad rather than mixed.

What does ambivalence mean in a mature relationship?

Being able to love someone while also recognizing anger or disappointment.

What is the danger of idealizing a romantic partner?

Eventually, ordinary flaws may cause the person to seem entirely terrible.

How can childhood experiences influence adult partner choices?

People may seek familiar emotional patterns, including painful ones.

Why might a healthy partner feel boring to someone?

Their kindness may feel unfamiliar compared with earlier painful relationship patterns.

What mistaken belief can cause sulking in relationships?

Believing a loving partner should understand unspoken feelings.

What is de Botton's main lesson about communication?

If you do not explain your feelings, another person cannot reliably understand them.

What does de Botton mean by becoming a good teacher in love?

Explaining feelings and needs in ways a partner can understand without humiliation.

Why should criticism not automatically be treated as an attack?

Constructive feedback can help both partners grow into better versions of themselves