Ques. Compare n contrast Francis Bacon and Charles
lamb as an essayist and persons giving their views on different aspect of life
to their readers
Ans.
For most of the people the English essay is
unavoidably connected with the name of Charles Lamb (1775-1834). Many consider
Lamb to be the typical essayist. But while Lamb has been called the ‘Prince of
Essayist’, Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was the ‘Father of English Essay’, for
introducing the genre into England. Bacon is famous for his informative essays
while Lamb is popular for his personal type of essays.
Most of the time, the style of a writer is dictated
by the type of subjects he is writing on. Both Bacon and Lamb wrote on a wide
range of topics, but the purpose of each case differed. Bacon wrote with the
declared aim of guiding his readers in matters of civil and moral importance.
He called his essays- “Counsels, civil and moral”. Governed by the need of
offering practical advice for worldly success, Bacons style is rhetorical,
persuasive, and designed to convince his readers. On the other hand, Lamb was
not governed by any such aim in his writing. His essays are purely of a
personal nature, reminiscent, nostalgic and rambling. His style reflects the
idiosyncrasies, whims and personal likes of his.
Bacon is never personal in his essays and his essays
obviously are not influenced by his personal life. His style is clear,
impressive and not in the least bit resembling a “Confidential chat” while it
is the quality that is most obvious in a Lambian essay. Lamb’s essays are very
much influenced by his personal life. Both writers make profuse use of
allusions and quotations, but the difference lies in the method of use. Bacon
uses his allusions solemnly, to illustrate his point, or to lend weight to his
analysis. For example in
Of
Nature in Men, he warns that a man should not
feel complacent about a victory over nature, and goes on to substantiate the
point with the help of the allusion to one of Aesop’s Fable. His allusions and
images are brought in with the specific purpose of impressing an idea all the
more forcibly on readers mind. Lamb uses allusions almost casually, as if they
simply came to him naturally not to convince a reader but to share an
experience.
There is one aspect which both Lamb and Bacon share.
Bacon in his all essays and Lamb at least some of his, show mastery over
aphoristic sentences. Sentences such as-
“Studies serve for delight, for
ornament, and for ability.”
shows us that.
Lamb was a writer of many styles. His writing has
complex echoes of earlier styles. Another quality that is a characteristic of
many Lambian essay and hardly ever to be found in Bacons essays is the touch of
poetry. A passage such as-
“Fantastic forms, whither
are ye fled? Or if the like of you exists… why comes
in reason to tear away the
preternatural mist, bright or gloomy, that enshrouded you?...”
can be found only in Lamb, never Bacon. Bacon has
used figurative language most
effectively, as he has done in Of Truth, Of Friendship, Of Unity in
Religion etc. But we can not tell it
poetic.
Bacon and Lamb differ in another major aspect. Bacon
never distress from the topic he is dealing with where Lamb always does.
Bacon often suggests many things to his readers for
attaining success in worldly life where Lamb shares his personal experiences
implicitly gives suggestions and knowledge.
Bacon’s essays spring from an impersonal and
‘stately’ motive. Lamb’s essays are the out pouring of simple and spontaneous
but deep personal feeling.
From their essays and biography it is seen that Lamb
was very much moved by the rises and clashes of life as we can refer the matter
of his pausing writing. From 1811 to 1820 he wrote nothing and was giving his
time to his friends, especially to the young ones. On the other hand Bacon kept
his personal life far away from his writing.
Bacon is the greatest of the English essayist of the
informative, impersonal and didactic kind, while Lamb is the master of personal
essays. Bacon is too magnificent to be humorous and Lamb is too companionable
to be stately. Bacon states his ideas confidently in the tersest of language;
Lamb’s style is full of interactions, ramblings and intimate revelations.
Ans.
For most of the people the English essay is
unavoidably connected with the name of Charles Lamb (1775-1834). Many consider
Lamb to be the typical essayist. But while Lamb has been called the ‘Prince of
Essayist’, Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was the ‘Father of English Essay’, for
introducing the genre into England. Bacon is famous for his informative essays
while Lamb is popular for his personal type of essays.
Most of the time, the style of a writer is dictated
by the type of subjects he is writing on. Both Bacon and Lamb wrote on a wide
range of topics, but the purpose of each case differed. Bacon wrote with the
declared aim of guiding his readers in matters of civil and moral importance.
He called his essays- “Counsels, civil and moral”. Governed by the need of
offering practical advice for worldly success, Bacons style is rhetorical,
persuasive, and designed to convince his readers. On the other hand, Lamb was
not governed by any such aim in his writing. His essays are purely of a
personal nature, reminiscent, nostalgic and rambling. His style reflects the
idiosyncrasies, whims and personal likes of his.
Bacon is never personal in his essays and his essays
obviously are not influenced by his personal life. His style is clear,
impressive and not in the least bit resembling a “Confidential chat” while it
is the quality that is most obvious in a Lambian essay. Lamb’s essays are very
much influenced by his personal life. Both writers make profuse use of
allusions and quotations, but the difference lies in the method of use. Bacon
uses his allusions solemnly, to illustrate his point, or to lend weight to his
analysis. For example in
Of
Nature in Men, he warns that a man should not
feel complacent about a victory over nature, and goes on to substantiate the
point with the help of the allusion to one of Aesop’s Fable. His allusions and
images are brought in with the specific purpose of impressing an idea all the
more forcibly on readers mind. Lamb uses allusions almost casually, as if they
simply came to him naturally not to convince a reader but to share an
experience.
There is one aspect which both Lamb and Bacon share.
Bacon in his all essays and Lamb at least some of his, show mastery over
aphoristic sentences. Sentences such as-
“Studies serve for delight, for
ornament, and for ability.”
(Of Studies, Bacon)
“Marriage by its best title is a
monopoly and of the least invidious sort” (A Bachelor’s Complaint of the Behavior of Married People,
Lamb)
shows us that.
Lamb was a writer of many styles. His writing has
complex echoes of earlier styles. Another quality that is a characteristic of
many Lambian essay and hardly ever to be found in Bacons essays is the touch of
poetry. A passage such as-
“Fantastic forms, whither
are ye fled? Or if the like of you exists… why comes
in reason to tear away the
preternatural mist, bright or gloomy, that enshrouded you?...”
can be found only in Lamb, never Bacon. Bacon has
used figurative language most
effectively, as he has done in Of Truth, Of Friendship, Of Unity in
Religion etc. But we can not tell it
poetic.
Bacon and Lamb differ in another major aspect. Bacon
never distress from the topic he is dealing with where Lamb always does.
Bacon often suggests many things to his readers for
attaining success in worldly life where Lamb shares his personal experiences
implicitly gives suggestions and knowledge.
Bacon’s essays spring from an impersonal and
‘stately’ motive. Lamb’s essays are the out pouring of simple and spontaneous
but deep personal feeling.
From their essays and biography it is seen that Lamb
was very much moved by the rises and clashes of life as we can refer the matter
of his pausing writing. From 1811 to 1820 he wrote nothing and was giving his
time to his friends, especially to the young ones. On the other hand Bacon kept
his personal life far away from his writing.
Bacon is the greatest of the English essayist of the
informative, impersonal and didactic kind, while Lamb is the master of personal
essays. Bacon is too magnificent to be humorous and Lamb is too companionable
to be stately. Bacon states his ideas confidently in the tersest of language;
Lamb’s style is full of interactions, ramblings and intimate revelations.
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