'The Glorious American Essay' pushes the boundaries of form
By Steve Donoghue Correspondent When it comes to essay anthologies, thereâs a tradition so iron-clad and long-standing that itâs remarkably daring of editor Phillip Lopate, in the foreword of âThe Glorious American Essay: One Hundred Essays from Colonial Times to the Present,â to natter for 16 whole pages before he gets around to asking âBut wait: what is an essay?â This question is practically constitutionally required when writing about essays. In a narrative tradition going all the way back through Montaigne to Plutarch, editors, publishers, and a who...
Source: csmonitor.com