An essay can be everything and anything–as the preface to the Collected Essays puts it, “The most richly satisfying essays are those which make the best of one, not two, but of all three worlds in which it’s possible for the essay to exist” (90). These three worlds are “the personal and the autobiographical”, “the objective, the factual, the concrete-particular”, and “the abstract universal” (88). In Delft, Albert Goldbarth certainly does not slack in covering all three of these poles.
First is “the personal and autobiographical”. Albert keeps referring to a woman named Cynthia, saying lines such as, “So, here: Cynthia and myself” (256). Although the story talks little of Cynthia compared to what else it covers, it’s there, and Albert uses fleas in a way to relate it back to himself and to Cynthia.
Second is “the objective, the factual, and the concrete-particular”. One section of the essay that caught my particular interest was when it switched from the abstract and mess of metaphors to sudden hard facts, changing the writing style of the essay. Albert goes into telling us facts about the flea, such as, “Fact: It’s not the piercing that causes the itch, but the enzymes in the flea’s saliva, which enters the wound in a forceful injection and keeps the blood from coagulating” (266) and begins to say at the end of many facts, “And they still scratched” (266).
And last is “the abstract universe”, which is what most of the essay consists of, starting the essay with, “He commeth unto his kingdom now. Yea, he commeth unto the greased posed-open body of his beloved, Cornelia nee Sawlmius, where she beckons from the alcove-bed” (253). Albert uses this different writing style to describe something that seems completely unrelated to anything, but in reality is just about sex, possibly his own sex.
And Albert was able to use all of these styles and connect them together that made his whole essay work. He used abstract imagery, analogies, and facts to relate to his own sex life and to the general topic of it. By using different writing styles, he can more effectively bring together a larger topic while still being specific, and capturing the interest of readers by using variety.