annotated source 01/11

Lamb, Charles. Essays of Elia. Iowa City: U of Iowa, 2003. Print.

Originally published in 1823, Essays of Elia is a collection of personal essays containing Lamb's musings and observations of life. Although creative nonfiction is autobiographical in nature, Lamb's personal essays avoid a chronological view of time. In the introduction, Lamb is hailed as "a cornerstone of the personal essay tradition." This statement justifies his position as one of the central essayists I'll be studying while in London. Lamb is one of the most important--if not the most important--British essayists in all of time, forever, the end. He merits such high praise because his writing exemplifies the classical essay at its best; in his essays, he starts with one idea or event and meditates on it, sometimes drawing a conclusion and sometimes just letting his thoughts rest on the question. His work will be a major part of my field study as I will be studying Lamb in his own city--London. I will be able to read his essays and more fully understand the context in which he wrote.

And then I will write. Using Lamb as a guide will give me plenty to experiment with, and using his city as inspiration will give me plenty to write about.

Everybody wins.