The essays of Francis Bacon are the first works in the English language to be named "essays." It is important to remember that the word comes from the French essayer, which means to try or attempt. The French writer Michel de Montaigne coined the term "essay" to describe his writings, as they represented his attempts to formulate his thoughts on the page.

Bacon's essays, therefore, should be seen in this light. They are considerations on a theme, always signposted by the title of the essay: "Of Empire," "Of Gardens," "Of Friendship." His style is experimental, in the sense of experimenting with different ways of looking at an idea as he tries to write a portrait of a concept. In terms of devices, Bacon uses extended metaphors to illustrate points and quotations to place himself within a tradition. He keeps his essays short and compact to encourage reading in one sitting, which means the reader can take in all the different aspects of a topic as a totality. He uses historical examples and often writes in aphorisms (short, pithy statements designed to represent a truth). These combine to create a multi-faceted exploration of the topic discussed. This is a different style than what we might expect from modern essays, in which an author aims to persuade the reader of a certain point of view. Bacon doesn't proselytize in this way but rather presents a subject in all its complexity.