Of Marriage and Single Life - Part C

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    Write a note on Bacon's prose style. [NU. 1999, 2003]

/ Would you call Bacon scientific in his prose style? Why? [DU. 1988]

/ Comment on Bacon's use of imagery in his essays. [NU. 1996]

/ How does Bacon match his style and his subjects in the essays?

/ Comment on Bacon's use of allusions and imagery with illustrations from his Essays.

/ Discuss Bacon's use of aphorisms and allusions in his essays.

Sir Francis Bacon, the renowned English philosopher, statesman, scientist, and essayist, is one of the greatest prose-writers of English literature and language. He is called the father of modern English prose because of his significant contribution to the development of modern English prose and also to the development of English prose-style. His Essays is concerned with stern realities of life. Some of the salient features that characterize his prose are as follows:


Bacon is weighty with thought. Many of his sentences can be expanded into full paragraphs. One of the salient features of Bacon's prose is aphorism. Aphorism is the concise statement of a universal truth. He aphoristically states to his readers the benefit of wives. In the essay, Of Marriage and Single Life Bacon says: 

"Wives are young men's mistress; companions for middle age, and old men's nurses." Aphorism is different from the proverb. A proverb is an anonymous expression of truth while an aphorism is one's personal experience. So it can be said that Bacon blended his personal experience in his prose.


Moreover, Bacon very honestly confesses the bitter reality of human life.  In his view, the wives and the children are the hindrance to the way of success. As he says:

 “He that hath wife and children hath given hostage of fortune.”


We get another aphoristic speech in the essay “Of Revenge” where he shows a certain high morality by saying:

 “Revenge is a kind of wild justice”

A man takes revenge on the person by whom he is oppressed. But when a man takes revenge, takes it more aggressively than he is oppressed. That’s why Bacon calls revenge a kind of wild justice. So he suggests us to be aloof from taking revenge.


Bacon is very practical in treating love. He considers it just one of many passions of the human mind. He does not pay extra favour to it emotionally; rather he sees love as a “child of folly” in his essay “Of Love''. As he comments:

 “Nuptial love maketh man kind; friendly love perfecteth it, but wanton love corrupteth and embaseth it.”


Another key feature of Bacon's prose is the use of allusions. Allusions are the indirect or implicit reference to a historical person or event. For example, in the beginning of the essay, “Of Truth” Bacon referred to Pilate. Pilate was the governor of Judea who presided at the trial of Jesus and gave the order of his crucifixion. 


In the essay “Of Truth” Bacon said that though truth is attainable, men prefer to tell lies. Men enjoy freedom of skepticism instead of being fixed in the monotonous beliefs and for this reason, they deliberately reject truth. This rejection of truth satisfies their vanity, their imagination.


Use of imagery made the prose of Bacon lively. In doing so, he chose images from the familiar objects of nature or from the facts of everyday life. His similes and metaphors are apt, vivid and suggestive. They are not mere ornaments rather they show clarity to his style.


 In the essay, Of Truth Bacon opens with an image: "What is truth? said 

jesting Pilate: and would not stay for an answer." 

By this image, he is able to call up the picture of the trial of Jesus Christ, and the incident of Pilate not taking seriously the statement of Jesus that he had come to bring truth into the world. He further uses this image to point out that there are a type of people who will not take anything particularly truth seriously. He compared truth to clear and broad daylight. 


In the light of the day, truth may be compared to the grace of pearl which can be best appreciated in the daylight. He compares truth to a "noble vine" that produces "the best wine," while falsehood is depicted as "a mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure" but ultimately yields "the taste of falsehood." This imagery highlights the contrast between the beauty and value of truth and the deceitfulness of falsehood.


So, it can be concluded that Bacon reveals his wisdom and experience. In blending both he did not use any artificial style that can separate the readers from the text. Rather he took an every-day practical moralist approach where readers find inspiration to act upon in this world.



[ Bacon very skilfully uses the literary device ‘paradox’ in the essay “Of Truth”. Truth, according to Bacon, lacks the charm of variety which falsehood has. Truth gives more pleasure only when a lie is added to it.  He believes that falsehood is a source of temporary enjoyment as it gives the people a strange kind of pleasure. So the essayist paradoxically says:

 “A mixture of lie doth ever add pleasure.” ]


[ An aphoristic style means conveying complex and deep ideas in just a few words. ]