In some ways we want definitions that can help protect our own interpretations of the genre.
Sometimes the essay is where we end up when everything that we know must change.
If Plutarch is the essayist I want to believe he is, he would want us all to sit in his chair. 
The intimate and meditative form that Plutarch became known for was completely new in his day. 
I look for the kind of text that doesn't look like the writer I'm considering. Plutarch is a great example. 
As frustrating as my time in grad school felt, it also helped tremendously because it challenged me to figure out what it was I thought I wanted. 
A risk is something that feels risky to the person who's taking it. 
Pedagogically, we need definitions and borders. They help us get our heads around what we're talking about. 
Inclusiveness isn't what I want to push back against. The obsession with facts is. 