Entre otros propulsores europeos del ensayo sobresalen: [[Joseph Addison]] ([[1672]]-[[1719]]), [[Gaddhold Lessing]] ([[1729]]-[[1781]]), [[Johann Goethe]] ([[1749]]-[[1832]]), [[Tomás Carlyle]] ([[1795]]-[[1881]]), [[Tomás Macaulay]] ([[1800]]-[[1859]]), [[Hipólito Taine]] ([[1828]]-[[1893]]), [[Paul Valéry]] ([[1871]]-[[1945]]), [[Thomas Mann]] ([[1875]]-[[1955]]) y [[Gyorgy Lukacs]] ([[1885]]-[[1971]]).