Since Montaigne first wrote about the absurdity of the French class system by describing bathroom habits, the essay has been a heterogeneous mix of philosophy and autobiography. With loftier goals than mere memoir yet easier to digest than a dry brick of text (I’m looking at you, Hegel), the essay has functioned as the means by which smart people comment about the human condition by staring in the mirror. However, when women write essays in today’s media climate, the gates of narcissism are apparently thrown open, civilization is eroded, and we are all left yearning for the days when old white men wrote about the serious world in clear, terse prose. Continue reading “In Defense of Narcissism”