Essays of E.B. White

When my wife's Aunt Caroline was in her nineties, she came to live with us.

During that time, she once made a profound remark: 'Remembrance is sufficient of the beauty we have seen.' This simple yet powerful statement has always stayed with me. I truly cherish the remembrance of the beauty I have witnessed in my life.

There is one writer in particular whom I consider to be one of the purest and loveliest I've ever encountered. The works of this writer are so captivating that reading them is not only a pleasure but also a valuable investment of time.

I have a strong feeling that I'll be constantly coming back to these works, dipping into them again and again, as they offer a source of inspiration and beauty that never fades.

Their words have the power to transport me to different worlds and make me appreciate the beauty that exists all around us.

I am truly grateful to have discovered this writer and will continue to cherish their works for a long time to come.

In New York, a citizen is likely to be constantly on the move.

He shops around for the perfect combination of rooms and views, changing his residence according to his fortune, whim, and need.

It seems to me that in every place he abandons, he leaves something essential behind, and starts his new life a little less burdened, like a lobster that has shed its shell and is temporarily soft and vulnerable.

No matter what changes occur in the world or within oneself, nothing ever seems to disrupt the face of spring.

I would be more optimistic about a bright future for mankind if people spent less time trying to outwit Nature and more time savoring her sweetness and respecting her seniority.

Perhaps future success will partly depend on our ability to generate inexpensive power, but I believe it will depend to a greater extent on our ability to resist a sterile technological formula: peas without pageantry, corn without a raccoon, knowledge without wisdom, and kitchens without a warm stove.

Everybody claims that he can't recall any winter like the current one in his entire life, but that's what you always hear, regardless of the weather.

Even in the midst of all the turmoil we are currently in, even though no one knows which way to turn or which way to go, the idea still persists that we must reach our destination with ever-increasing speed.

I have yet to encounter a piece of writing, whether political or non-political, that doesn't have a bias.

All writing leans in the direction that the writer leans, and no one is born completely straight, although many are born upright.

There is something about the human mind that keeps it firmly within the boundaries of the parish, and only one in a million outlooks is non-parochial.

And I felt that there are far too many people in the world who believe that liberty and justice for all means liberty and justice for themselves and their friends.

People are, if anything, more sensitive about being thought silly than they are about being thought unjust.

I was rather young to be so far north, but there is a stage near the beginning of every man's life when he has little to hold onto except his unmanageable dream, little to support him except good health, and nowhere to go but everywhere.

Such fragile delights were my days made of in those delicious years.

It is strange how much you can remember about places like that once you allow your mind to return to the tracks that lead back.

You remember one thing, and that suddenly reminds you of another.

But there is often a very fine line between laughing and crying, and if a humorous piece of writing brings a person to the point where his emotional responses are unreliable and seem likely to tip over into the opposite realm, it is because humor, like poetry, has an additional content.

It gets close to the big, hot fire that is Truth, and sometimes the reader feels the heat.

The essay, as a respected literary genre, has not yet firmly established its meritorious position in American intellectual society. In this society, the novel, poetry, and journals that feature essential social/political issues with gravity, surrealistic individualism, or puritanical heroism (which has recently transformed into a rags-to-riches memoir) are the only legitimate royalties that gain respect from the literary community. Perhaps this is related to the fact that American intellectualism is still in a developing stage, considering its relatively "youthful" history.

Nevertheless, despite the general cold reception from the literary hierarchy, E.B. White is an outstanding American English writer and a very fine essayist of the twentieth century. In this collection of his essays published in various magazines over the years (from the 1920s to the 1970s), White recorded the overtones of humanity, democracy, and social concerns in ordinary things and experiences. He described them in an elegant and crisp prose style that is unique to him, making him one of the central figures in the canon of American literature without dispute.

Being an essayist means being something like a modern-day literary troubadour. It is an independently-minded person with childlike streaks of artless interest in all things worldly and unworldly, and an innocent belief that everything he thinks about and everything that happens to him is of general interest. In a way, he is a likable egoist with the courage and verve to write a very egoistic essay according to his whims and caprices. However, White gently rebukes our general perception of the essay as an expression of exalted footlessness without self-discipline and an intellectual basis. Instead, he believes that the essay is a panoply of sensibilities, senses, and intelligence, all released from the hidden private closet of the essayist.

For this reason, White advises that an essayist should accept his self-imposed role as a small-fry writing gentry in the class of scribes. However, it is this estate of an essayist that White feels excited about. It provides him with a valve for the emotional influx and outflow, allowing him to wield his pen across the page, expending his curiosity, conviction, observation, and self-discipline, and producing a dazzling delight of literary pleasure in the simplicity of language and subject.

To illustrate, White's essay topics vary widely. In "Goodbye to Forty-Eighth Street," he writes about his experience of moving from New York City to Maine. "Bedfellow" is a humorous political essay featuring his canine family member Fred. In "The Ring of Time," he keenly and humanely observes a circus girl rehearsing her show. And in "The Years of Wonder," he recalls his youthful poetic experience of working as a waiter on a ship to Alaska. All of these essays deal with a cast of everyday characters and contemporary daily life, written in simple but perceptive words to contextualize the inner realm of White.

There is no priggishness or pomposity in his prose style, which I find very appealing and endearing. For someone as erudite and intelligent as White, such simplicity of writing indicates that he wears his knowledge lightly, keeping the general reader in mind. In fact, White thinks it is his duty as a writer to record all items as if he would be held personally responsible if they were omitted. This idea of a writer as the general secretary of humanity parallels the reasons for writing posited by George Orwell: It serves as a platform for expressing our sheer egotism, aesthetic pleasure, political evidence, or historical record. A priori, both of these great essayists of the English language strike a mutual chord in their hearts.

At the heart of the essays lies White's love for the world. He collected the flotsam and jetsam of what our contemporary human life could bring to us, which were washed up by the waves of time and memories. This collection of essays by White, I think, bestows its own sovereign royal heritage on the subsequent American essay, meriting its own section in the nonfiction aisles across the country. That is, in a wide stretch of literary imaginations imbued with historical evidence, the book has made itself the founder of new royal blood, similar to how William the Conqueror became the first Norman king of England by establishing a new royal bloodline in 1066. With a variety of topics and the practicality of language, this book is a gem that holds the reader's attention throughout the pages, including the unforgettable cover featuring Fred and the author himself. It so fittingly and wittily demonstrates the Element and Style of Essays of E.B. White. It's a lovely read that warms your heart and piques your curiosity about the inner world of the writer, whose thoughts and feelings chime the bells of our own in one way or another, because White is ageless in his writing and his writing is timeless in his essays.

I have a deep affection for his observations and the remarkable way in which he employs words.

His ability to notice the tiniest details and bring them to life through his writing is truly astonishing.

White's use of language is so skillful that it allows the reader to vividly imagine the scenes he describes.

He has a unique gift for painting pictures with words, making his stories and essays a joy to read.

Simply put, White was an extremely talented writer.

His works have stood the test of time and continue to inspire generations of readers.

Whether it's his charming tales of nature or his incisive social commentaries, White's writing always manages to engage and captivate.

His talent is a testament to the power of the written word and the importance of a keen eye and a creative mind.

I feel privileged to have discovered his works and look forward to exploring more of his literary treasures in the future.

Having just completed the reading of "The Essays of E.B. White", I am overcome with a sense of loss, as if I have bid farewell to a dear friend. I struggle to remember ever experiencing such profound sadness upon finishing a book. It is not that the book itself is melancholy; rather, it is because it is truly remarkable, and its author is equally so. I have grown up with White's three children's books, which I still cherish as an adult. However, prior to this, I had only read one of his essays, namely "Once More to the Lake". To be honest, I must admit that I did not adore every single aspect of each and every essay. Nevertheless, every essay did possess parts that I found truly captivating. The world is undeniably a better place for having had White in it, and I am devastated that I can never get to know him personally. I will most definitely be on the lookout for more of White's writings, so that I can continue to acquaint myself with this long-lost friend whom I never truly had.

I guess it shouldn't have surprised me that the man who penned Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web could also compose such touching and captivating essays.

And I'm not joking when I say those two are among the greatest American books ever, despite being children's literature.

Pieces like this serve as a reminder of why I have such a profound love for reading.

It's definitely something I'll revisit from time to time.

Everyone should take the time to explore such wonderful works that can touch our hearts and expand our imaginations.

The beauty of literature lies in its ability to transport us to different worlds and make us feel a wide range of emotions.

Whether it's a children's book or an essay, if it has the power to move us, it's truly a gem.

So, I encourage everyone to pick up a good book and let the magic of words unfold.

E.B. White was truly at his best, and that's saying a lot indeed. His essays span from before World War Two all the way until the mid-1970's.

They cover a wide range of topics, including the 1939 World's Fair, his rather obstreperous dachshund Fred, the destructive power of two New England hurricanes (about which White learned more from the Boston AM radio station than from his neighbors), the so-called "war" between brown eggs and white eggs, and the ever-increasing intrusion of government in local affairs.

This collection is indispensable for anyone interested in the mid-Twentieth Century scene. And of course, it showcases writing of a very fine level. If you think of E.B. White merely as the author of CHARLOTTE'S WEB and STUART LITTLE, then you should definitely head for this volume and check it out! You'll be in for a treat as you explore the diverse and engaging world that White has created through his essays.

White is indeed as excellent a writer and as brilliant an essayist as he is reputed to be.

Reading his essays is truly like a luxurious linguistic ear massage. They are filled with humor that makes you burst into laughter, and their crispness keeps you engaged from start to finish. They are veritable works of art.

In these essays, there is a beautiful blend of nostalgia and depth, beauty and life. However, I also sense a certain lack of something more profound.

There is an air about White's observations that faintly reminds one of a Seinfeld episode. While it is true that he is accomplishing more than just that (for instance, his essay "The Sea and the Wind That Blows" deeply touched a chord within me), yet the final foundation may not always be firmly felt beneath the feet of his readers.

This perhaps leaves a bit of room for improvement or a longing for that extra layer of depth that could truly make his essays even more impactful and enduring.

Nevertheless, his works still hold a certain charm and value that make them worth reading and enjoying.