My dissertation, Flashes of Essayism, investigates the transformative power of essayism as a way to deeply engage with experiences, texts, and ideas. Bridging traditional literary and comparative analysis with experimental, reflective approaches, this research aims to broaden our understanding of essayism—not just as a literary form, but as a dynamic mode of literary creation and intellectual exploration. Through this lens, I examine how essayism fosters moments of heightened insight—what I call “flashes of essayism”—across diverse works of fiction and nonfiction. By analyzing these moments, my work highlights essayism’s ability to blur the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction, revealing how it transforms storytelling into a space for reflection, discovery, and innovation. Ultimately, my research uncovers essayism’s potential to reshape our interactions with literature, experiences, and the everyday world, offering pathways for personal, creative, and intellectual growth.