Benson, Arthur. "The Art of the Essayist." 1922. Quotidiana. Ed. Patrick Madden. 13 Oct. 2008. Web. 29 Mar. 2012
This essay, much like Alexander Smith's "On the Writing of Essays," explores the idea of the essayist persona instead of focusing on the essay itself. This also reinforces the notion that in order to write essays, one must be an essayist. Benson writes that essayists must be curious, realistic, alert, and "emotional in a reverential way." Describing these characteristics of essayists is interesting to me because it shows me more and more that essaying is a way of life, rather than a mere occupation (and if it were a mere occupation, it would be a poor occupation, because it's not the most lucrative career out there). This is relevant to my project because while in London I will continue my pursuit to be an essayist, and there I will have more time to actually focus my life on my project, which is essay writing. It will be an excellent time to both observe the world around me and write about it.
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