The Edinburgh companion to the essay Provides a comprehensive overview of the essay with a focus on current debates about the formIncludes interviews with eight major contemporary essayists (Rebecca Solnit Claudia Rankine Brian Dillon David Shields Leslie Jamison Kaitlyn Greenidge Robert Atwan and Jamaica Kincaid)Explores the theory history formal features and political contexts of the essayFocuses on the contemporary essay while also surveying the key moments and essayists in the history of the essayExtends the theory of the essay by addressing key aspects of the form such as the construction of an essayistic self the relation between the self and the other in the essay and the relation between the essay and the world ‘out there’Explores the relationship between the essay and adjacent forms such as philosophical writing the column science writing the novel the lyric the advertisement and moreThe Edinburgh Companion to the Essay distinguishes itself by the wide range and scope of its themes voices and approaches. Thirty five leading essayists literary critics and writing instructors explore the essay from multiple perspectives including its theories forms and histories as well as its cultural political and pedagogical contexts. In particular the volume extends the theory of the essay by addressing topics such as the construction of an essayistic self and the political dimensions of essaying. It further explores the relationship between the essay and other forms such as philosophical writing the column science writing the novel the lyric and the advert as well as the essay in digital spaces