For a possible class project...

[bethbethbeth]

Do you guys have favorite essays? Any era or topic (but especially: Arts, Activism, History, Politics, Pop Culture or Science).

Online links or enough of a citation (author/title, at least) so I can track it down, please!

Thanks in advance. :)

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Comments

[laitosto]

I just read "Sweet Spot" by Paul Graham in "Best Food Writing 2012". It is an essay about the author's experience tapping his maple tree and boiling down the sap for syrup. The language is such that it begs to be read aloud.

"Sear is one of my favorite verbs, smoke point my favorite temperatures. I revel in culinary accelerants: brandy, amaretto, oil, chili paste. There is often fire -- intentionally."

[bethbethbeth]

I definitely want to read that! (and now I''m on his website, looking through his other essays...thank you!)

[kellychambliss]

What Makes Superman So Darned American? by Gary Engle. Old now (written in the 80s, I think) and doesn't address gender at all (which I think would be a fascinating aspect of this story), but it's an accessible model of thoughtful pop culture analysis.

[bethbethbeth]

You know, I think I read this...and liked it very much! thanks for the link)

[bethbethbeth]

That looks great...thanks so much!

[persevero]

Can it be a video? Many powerful essays in TED and law are now distributed as videos of a talk (though sometimes also transcribed).

[bethbethbeth]

A great TED video would be fine (I can show it in class)

[persevero]

Well, you might want to check this one because it criticises the education system, but it is a splendid talk.

[mark356]

How do you define "essay"? Does it need to be within a certain length? Are newspaper/magazine articles OK? Blog posts? Newspaper articles? Whole books?

OTOH, I really like Tolkein's essay about the importance of esacapism, Neil Gaiman's thing about cities he wrote for SimCity, and that LJ post about pads. Not sure if you'd count all of them.

[bethbethbeth]

I know the Tolkien essay (thanks for the reminder), but...do you have a link for the Gaiman piece?

(thank you!!)

[mark356]

Of course, and you're welcome!

http://www.neilgaiman.com/p/Cool_Stuff/Essays/Essays_By_Neil/SIMCITY

[bethbethbeth]

Merci!!