‘Of Studies’ by Francis Bacon is an essay in which he tries to talk about the importance, values and limitations of studies during the Renaissance period. This essay which is totally pragmatic in its treatment and empirical in its presentation of the subject matter tries to explore and explain the benefits of studies for all kinds of readers, at the same time, it also offers certain strategies of studies which can be useful for different kinds of study purposes. Most of the sentences in this essay are aphoristic in nature as they are filled with worldly wisdom and practical knowledge. They try to talk about the meaning, uses, benefits and limitations that studies may have. Most of the sentences have been split into three parts which is known as symmetrical order of sentences. They are filled with ideas and run parallel with three thoughts, also known as parallel pattern which continues in most of the sentences of the essay. The style of Francis Bacon is inductive in nature as it begins from practice and develops the formula of study. It does not try to propose a theory which should be strictly followed. Rather it tries to propose a means of activity or a process of reading then he comes to theory and for that he supports certain arguments and examples. In order to put his arguments into the essay, Francis Bacon uses certain Latin phrases and statements which are in the form of proverbs. Francis Bacon’s present essay tries to talk about the scientific approach to dealing with different issues and phenomena of life. The present essay is one of them. The Renaissance in the 16th and 17th centuries in England was much popular for its lust for knowledge, thirst for discoveries, and advancement in learning. Science that was evolving against the theocracy and theology of the Middle and Dark Ages becomes the main argument of the essay. The approach of Bacon in the essay is scientific and objective. Bacon’s essay presents a picture of the Renaissance period, which talks about the values, importance, and practicality of studies and knowledge. Many statements, quotations and aphorisms from this essay have become popular proverbs in the whole world at present as they are filled with too much knowledge, pregnant with meaning and ideas, at the same time, pithy and short. The statements like ‘Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability’ and ‘Crafty men condemn studies, simple, men admire them, and wise men use them’ and ‘Some books are to be tested, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested’ are now pieces of advice that people offer to their children and students throughout the world. Such is the popularity of Francis Bacon and his essay ‘Of Studies’.
Literary Latitude 