annotated source 01/25

Meynell, Alice. Essays. London, 1914.

This collection of essays has an obvious connection to my project because Meynell was a Londoner who wrote essays; however, she, along with a few other female essayists of her time, has not in the past been considered canonical. It is likely because her essays may have garnered a smaller audience when she published them, but it also may be due to the face that she seems to be more of an undiscovered jewel in essaying. The essays in this collection that I’ve read chronicle more of her meditations on a subject rather than focusing on her life in general, which is beneficial because many essays of today are more autobiographical rather than essayistic. Autobiography, generally, goes along with the assumption that one’s life is important, so the point is to relay life experiences that the audience must hear. Essaying focuses more on perspective; the writer’s perception of the world around him or her is given more priority than his or her inherent importance. So in this light, Meynell’s essays will give me good experience balancing perception with life experience (and how to do that without being superfluous). I will also enjoy learning more about Meynell’s life in London, and what kind of audience originally received her essays.