Representation, Ideology, and the Form of the Essay

Authors

  • Olivia Y Archibald Saint Martin's University Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/wap.v1i1.11

Keywords:

Writing Pedagogy, Writing Theory, Ideology, Montaigne, Althusser, Subjectivity

Abstract

This essay examines the beginnings of first-year writing programs in the academy and the early history of the essay to reveal how and why a particularly limiting range of allowable subjectivities entered into the writing classroom through the essay’s form. Most college first-year writing courses privilege a thesis-driven form of the essay that is much closer to Bacon’s (1592/1966) collection of essays, in contrast to those written by Montaigne (1575/1965), who is often referred to as the “Father of the Essay.” Reasons for this practice include the writing curriculum’s seeming alliance with classical rhetoric’s definition of both essay and student writer. The concept of ideology as conceived by Althusser (1968/1971) proves useful for understanding the essay’s implications in subjectivity formation. Although all essay forms are informed by ideology, the act of privileging thesis-driven forms in schooling practices can also privilege the practice of requiring students to take on subjectivities allowed only within those forms. Expanding the writing forms assigned within first-year writing programs can offer writers more open, contradictory possibilities for expressing authority, resistance, critical inquiry, creativity, and difference.

Author Biography

  • Olivia Y Archibald, Saint Martin's University

    Olivia Archibald (PhD University of Iowa) is a Professor of English at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington. Archibald is currently co-authoring with Maureen Hall The Power of Reflective Writing in the Classroom (Equinox, 2010) and recently carried out research on the stories of Holocaust survivors which was published in Narrative Inquiry. Alongside her teaching and research, Archibald chairs the English Department and facilitates activities for faculty development at her university.

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Published

2010-01-16

Issue

Section

Feature Article

How to Cite

Archibald, O. Y. (2010). Representation, Ideology, and the Form of the Essay. Writing and Pedagogy, 1(1), 11-36. https://doi.org/10.1558/wap.v1i1.11

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