tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377586.post84579382..comments2024-03-27T02:13:13.079-04:00Comments on Original Content: Gail Gauthierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01673131515563387968noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377586.post-17620472587915777512008-03-13T14:49:00.000-04:002008-03-13T14:49:00.000-04:00Saying that you don't like to read personal essays...Saying that you don't like to read personal essays because they have too many random thoughts is like saying you don't like cowboy movies because there are too many horses and people carrying guns. The answer to that is, well, maybe you just don't like essays. Essays include randomness and are about making that randomness interesting. In my opinion, EB White is a master at exactly that. I have no interest in most of the subjects he touches upon, yet the language he uses, the rythm of his phrases, the way unexpected but precise words appear in his writing, etc. At the same time his writing is profound and warm, playful but never stupid, smart but not condescending. Try to do that as a writer and you will realize how difficult is to strike that balance.<BR/><BR/>Of course, you don't have to like EB White. You don't have to like Montaigne (who basically invented the genre and contains as much randomness). It is also true that EB White wrote in a different context, when we weren't flooded by the "personal" blogs, reports, etc. But that is exactly WHY I think reading him NOW is essential, because he found that fine line between being personal and intimate and not being invasive and vain.Xtianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151821159026439800noreply@blogger.com