Since my last post’s featured essay was a little on the theoretical side, I thought I would share another critical piece on the contemporary essay, albeit one that will perhaps feel more grounded and less equivocal than Mitch Therieau’s. I happened upon this one courtesy of local-ish author, Nathan Whitlock.
In this piece for The Drift, Jackson Arn takes aim at Anchor Books’ publication of The Contemporary American Essay, stares upon its entrails, and tells us (not unconvincingly) about what’s wrong with the state of the contemporary essay. There’s a lot here I agree with, with some of the preciousness (and vagueness) of the current style taken to task.
