Bacon’s fame as a writer depends most of all on the fact that he is the father of

modern English prose. He evolved a prose style that proved for the first time
that English could also be used to express the subtleties of thought, in clear and
uninvolved sentences. His first essays were the skeletons of thought, grouped
around central themes with suitable titles. When, however, Bacon saw that his
essays had gained an unexpected popularity, he thought it was worthwhile to
spend some more time on them and make item more polished and riches.
In this video, we shall discuss the main features of his writing style and we shall
see him as an essayist, his prose style and further we shall see that what were
the renaissance elements that influenced his writings. First of all, let’s see
Bacon as an essayist.
It is indeed true that Bacon’s essays have achieved a popularity that his other
works have not. There are a number of reasons that attribute to this popularity
of his essays. Bacon stands supreme in the history of English literature. He
rightly deserves the title of fatherhood in English prose. His essays have rightly
been regarded as capsules of wisdom.
PRACTICALITY:
One of the prominent features of Bacon’s essays is practicality. His essays deal
with the practical problems rather than abstract issues. The merit of his essays
lies in the density of thought and expressions. They are not mere ideas and
speculations. His essays force the readers to think a lot. When we go through his
essays, we clearly feel that he inserts ideas and expression not for the purpose of
decoration but to tell us reality and to emphasize an idea.
Like in his essay “OF STUDIES” he tells us the importance as well as rank of
books in these words:
“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be
chewed and digested.”
He tells us importance or reading, writing and speaking in following words:
“Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man and writing an exact
man.”
There is a lot to think and understand.
HUMAN BEING:
Man is the subject of Bacon’s essay. This human interest is one reason why his
essays are universally popular, because human beings are interested most of all
in themselves. Bacon’s essays can be broadly divided into three categories.
 a) Man, in relation to the world and society.
b) Man, in relation to himself, and
c) Man, in relation to his maker.
Whether ethical, civil or political the essays are the distillations of Bacon’s
observations of men, their natures, their ways and habits of life.
TERSENESS:
Another important quality of Bacon as an essayist is his “terseness” in his
essays. Terseness refers to the quality to say something in short and complete
sentences. Bacons’ essays are full of terseness because he gives one idea in
short but witty sentences. e.g.
“Revenge is a kind of wild justice.”
“All colors die in the dark.”
“Vindictive persons are like witches.”
MORALITY:
Morality can also be found in Bacon’s essays though most of time it is not an
ideal morality. Bacon is at his best in what may be termed as his political
essays. One might argue that these topics are of interest only to kings and
statemen. A man who wants to achieve material prosperity and success in
worldly affairs could easily find very useful principles in Bacon’s essays. It is
dubious morality to be sure and yet, a maxim many people follow successfully
even to this day.
Now, let’s see some salient features of Bacon’s writing. Aphoristic style, use of
contrasted pairs, imagery and analogy, allusions and quotations, and rhetoric
style were some of the major elements that we find in Bacon’s essays.
APHORISTIC STYLE
The style of Bacon remains aphoristic, with the result that he is one of the most
quotable writers. There is a terseness of expression and epigrammatic brevity, in
the essays of Bacon. His sentences are brief and rapid, but also forceful. They
come down like the strokes of hammer. Bacon explains philosophical thoughts
in few words. It would not be wrong to say that
“Bacon’s style is packed like that of Milton”
Bacon has the ability to express deeper philosophical thoughts in simple words.
Like:
 “Truth may perhaps come to the price of a pearl, that shewth best by day;
but it will not rise to the price of diamond or carbuncle,
that shewth best in varied lights.”
USE OF CONTRASTED PAIRS
Another prominent feature of Bacon’s prose style is the use of contrasted pair
e.g.
“Revenge is a kind of wild justice.”
Here, in this case “wild” and “justice” is the contrasted pair. Bacon has the
ability of weighing the pros and cons of every question that he deals with. When
he makes a statement, he almost immediately counter – balances it. He gives
both sides of the picture.
HIS IMAGERY AND ANALOGY
There is a constant use of imagery and figurative language in Bacon’s writing,
especially in his later essays. The extensive use of metaphors, images and
analogies is in keeping with the views of the rhetoricians of the ancient as well
as the Renaissance.
e.g.
“Distilled books are like common distilled water flashy things”.
He compares falsehood to an alloy in a win of gold or silver.
“The alloy makes the metal work better, but it lowers the value of the metal”
ALLUSIONS AND QUOTATIONS
The essays bear witness to Bacon’s learned mind in the extensive use of
quotations and allusions drawn from various sources, classical fables, the Bible,
History of the ancient Greek and Roman writers and familiar collection of
proverbs. The revival of classical learning and Greek learning and literature is
clearly present in Bacon’s writings
e.g.
“When Christ cometh, there shall be no faith upon earth.”
Bacon thus employs allusions and quotations in order to explain his point. They
serve to make his style more scholarly and enrich it while lending weight to his
ideas.
 RHETORIC STYLE
Bacon’s style is definitely rhetorical. No one knows better than Bacon how to
have a single word to produce all effects by using it in some slight uncommon
sense, at setting the wits at work to discern and adjust this, or how unfold all
manner of applications and connotations.
e.g.
“Why should I be angry with the man for loving himself more than me.”

To be continued
Let’s take a look on Renaissance elements in Bacon’s essays. Renaissance
means “revival of classical learning.” Actually, it is a journey of human mind
from the darkness of “Middle Ages” towards enlightenment. up to great extent,
Bacon appears as an embodiment of Renaissance Age and his writings/ essays
carry in abundance the reflection of his age. Search for knowledge is a
prominent feature of renaissance age and of Bacon’s essays. the noteworthy
features of Renaissance age were:
 Intellectual curiosity
 Pragmatic spirit of renaissance
 Material progress
 Lust for knowledge
 Man is the center of universe
 Sense of individualism
 The spirit of nationalism
 Revival of classical learning
 Study of Ancient Greek and Roman literature
 Use of metaphorical language
 Sensuousness
 Love for learning
 Importance of English language
 Spirit of adventure, exploration, political conquest etc.
 Use of sexist language and
 Patriarchal norms

Let’s ty to locate the above listed features from Bacon’s essays. As far as
pragmatism is concerned, Bacon emerges out as a practical and Shrewd
observer of human nature. He is of the view that ideal/abstract morality may
prove harmful to human beings. Therefore, at certain places in his essays, he
seems a follower of “Machiavelli” who propounded an ideology about human
happiness such as;
“ends justify means.”
And the quotation from Bacon’s essay “Of Truth” can also be quoted in this
regard which is an under;
“A falsehood doth ever add pleasure but it debases its value.”
And
“Men come to dignities by indignities.”
Bacon is of the view that
“man is an individual and an end in himself.”
In all the examples cited above, Bacon seems inclined towards pragmatic
approach. At no cost, he wants human beings should be in trouble. The spirit of
Nationalism is another important characteristic of renaissance age and hence of
Bacon’s essays. it is obvious that Bacon advocates unethical ways but never at
the expense of his nationalism is obvious form the following lines of his essay
“Of Revenge.”
“Public revenges are for the most part fortune.”
And
“Money is like a mud not good except it be spread.”
The examples mentioned above clearly illustrate a sense of nationalism that
instead of benefiting only a certain class of people, majority of people should be
benefited.
Still another important characteristic of Bacon’s writing is the growing spirit of
adventure, exploration and political conquest. Bacon opines that a country
should ever be ready to use weapons as well.
In his essay “Of Travel” he says,
“Travel in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder a part of
experience.”
This shows that he is influenced by Renaissance because Elizabethans were
great travelers Besides this, Bacon wants human beings to explore and learn
more and whatever context they are in.
The revival of classical learning and the study of ancient Greek and Roman
literatures and history was a hallmark of Renaissance. This spirit of learning is
very much in the essays of Bacon.
His love of learning is clearly portrait in his essay, “Of Studies”, when he says;
“Some books are to be tasted, some to be swallowed and some others to be
chewed and digested.”
The lines quoted above carry in them Bacon’s skepticism which is still another
prominent feature of renaissance age. Actually, like a humanist, Bacon imparts
the message that one should be very sceptic about the selection of books.
Because Bacon is fully aware of that;
“Reading is not only saying, it is doing as well.”
We can also find sensuousness in Bacon’s essays. His essay “Of Garden” is one
of such examples which shows that Bacon is a great lover of sensuous beauty,
“And because the breath of flower is far sweeter in the air than in the hand.”
Therefore, nothing is more fit for that delight than to know what be the flowers
and plants that do best to perfume the air. In bacon’s essays, there is a wealth of
metaphors and similes. Bacon appears as a great stylist in his essays. his
marvelous use of striking metaphors and similes is highly loaded. He takes
metaphors and similes from different spheres of knowledge. This shows his
wide range of learning and worldly wisdom e.g.
“Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark.”
Another important feature of renaissance age is the focus on “material progress”
and it is quite obvious in Bacon’s writings as well e.g.
“They may be thought so much the richer.”
CONCLUSION
In short, we can conclude that Bacon was a writer who represented the most
salient features of his age. He embodies the accurate and shrewd observation of
an author regarding man and life. It is perhaps because of his multi-faced
mastery of style supported by flesh and blood imagery apt comparisons and
convincing allusions or quotations that king James reportedly pronounced the
work. Regarding harmony to this whole discussion, Bacon can be regarded as
the great stylist of his time.