Michel de Montaigne (1500’s) coined the word “essay” referring to his works as an “attempt” to put his thoughts into writing. The word was derived from the French word “essayer” meaning “to try” or “to attempt.” His works focused on social commentary, literature and philosophy.
Plutarch, a known moralist, was inspired by the style of personal point of view and commentarism writing of Montaigne.
Taking the stylistics of Montaigne and Plutarch, Francis Bacon published literary works that he established as essays in 1600.
Essay writers were then called essayists by Benjamin Johnson, a
well-known renaissance dramatist of the 1600. This event signaled the formation of a new school of thought - free-thinkers or non-conformist of literature.
