Abstract
The article discusses the features of an essay as a prose genre. An essay belongs to the field of prose as one of the literary genres that reflect the realities of life in an artistic and source-based manner. Its structure consists of narration, description, dialogue, and other elements typical of prose works. The main characteristic of an essay is its ability to present the reality of life through artistic language based on real data. An essay uses the author's perspective, journalistic insights, and techniques of artistic accumulation, drawing from real people and events. The image of the hero and his actions in the social environment occupy an important place in this genre. The essay is similar to other genre inserts of prose, such as a short story, novella, or essay, but it differs in that it is based on props. The article differentiates the narrative style, compositional structure, and the breadth of the essay's topic within the genre's character. Further research will focus on the ranking of characteristics resulting from the fusion of journalistic and artistic styles in the essay, as well as the system of linguistic means and stylistic devices used in it. This research will determine the place of the essay in the prose genre, its specific features, and literary and artistic characteristics, as well as its role and significance in fiction.