Phillip Lopate's Introduction to The Art of the Personal Essay is divided into 11 subsections that deal with different aspects of the personal esay. I have reformulated the titles of these subheadings as questions. Consider what your answers to each question say about the kind of personal essayist you are (or might become).
I. The Conversational Element (xxiv-xxv). Would you describe yourself as someone who often feels ambivalent about issues? Are you the kind of person who has lots of doubts? Do you make a habit of examining your doubts?
II. Honesty, Confession, and Privacy (xxv-xxvii). Would you describe yourself as a private person or do you tend to be more of an "open book"?
III. The Contractions and Expansions of the Self (xxvii-xxix). How comfortable do you feel about talking about your flaws or things you've done in the past that embarrass you now? Are proud of your knowledge of a particular subject?
IV. The Role of Contrariety (30-31). How comfortable do you feel expressing an opinion that you know others will disagree with?
V. The Problem of Egotism (31-32). Do you worry that writing about your personal life in detail is a sign of egotism or vanity?
VI. Cheek and Irony (32-33). How comfortable do you feel making fun of yourself? How do you feel about mocking other people?
VII. The Idler Figure (33-35). How do you feel about wasting time? Are you the kind of person who likes to have a strict schedule that you can stick to or do you prefer not to have a schedule at all and let things happen spontaneously?
VIII. The Past, the Local, and the Melancholy (35-37). Do you often find yourself looking back at past experiences and reflecting on how they shaped the person you are today?
IX. Questions of Form and Style (37-41). Would you say you feel more comfortable writing narratives or writing arguments or writing reports? Do you like to read texts that take a straight path from A to B or do you prefer to read texts that meander into unexpected places?
X. Quotation and the Uses of Learning (41-42). Would you describe yourself as someone who is well-read? Do you like to quote others in your own writing? Do you like to write about what others have written?
XI. The Personal Essay as Mode of Thinking and Being (42-45). Would you describe yourself as someone who is open to a radical change in your life right now?
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