The Art of the Personal Essay

At over 700 pages, the anthology gets its own ironic shelf label from one reader: “a separate shelf for this book titled, 'kill-me-now'.” Assigned in a class rather than browsed on a reader's own schedule, it turns readers hostile, and one specifically flags the gap in range: “it clearly lacks sections on women's or queer movements.” Reviewers note the historical sweep is uneven and some pieces simply don't land, without naming which ones fail. Lopate's own critical framing, prized by fans of his introduction, strikes at least one reader as merely “his thoughts on writing are...unexceptional?” Another jokes with relief, “Seneca, thank you for writing essays that were only two pages long,” a jab at how long everything else runs.