Essay writing and “inobedient word” in Tomás Segovia

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine, with a text by Tomás Segovia serving as the basis for the analysis, some of the main features, both general and specific to the Spanish Mexican author, of essay writing. Firstly, a brief biographical sketch of Segovia is offered, followed by some comments on the nature of the essay as a literary form or genre. This is followed by a discussion of formal and thematic features of Segovia’s essay, “La palabra inobediente”, in which the combination of philosophical-literary elements, the sense of social responsibility, and the wandering, free character of the writing stands out.