For more than 400 years, the personal essay has been one of the richest and most robust of all literary forms. Distinguished from the detached, formal essay by its warm, friendly, conversational tone, its loose structure and drive towards candor and self-disclosure, the personal essay seizes on the minutiae of daily life – vanities, fashions, food, culture, language and identity. It is poetry, it is song, it is speech, at once both call and response in the hands of a master story teller…
For some time now I have been researching into the schools of yesteryear. “5 Great Schools” is a gem that I wish to share with you. Though written over 100 years ago, the continued validity and wisdom displayed by President DeWitt (from Bowdoin College) is well worth a bit of reflection, even today…