The UVic Writer's Guide
An Introduction To Essay Writing
The word "essay" comes from the French essai, a try or attempt. The essay is an attempt to communicate information,
opinion, or feeling, and usually it presents an argument about
a topic. In the university context, an essay is an exercise that
gives the student an opportunity to explore and clarify thoughts
about a subject. In the larger world the essay appears in newspapers
as opinion articles, editorials, reviews, and the more thorough
commentary on news.
If at times the essay form seems a little artificial, or removed
from the kinds of writing you expect to produce when you leave
university, remember that the skills you learn in thinking, organizing,
researching, and writing will be required in almost any career.
There will always be expository reports to write and arguments
to present.
Topics About Essays
Table of Contents
Start Over
Index
Copyright, The Department of English, University of Victoria,
1995
This page updated Sept 20, 1995