Reflections by the creator of the essay form display the humane, skeptical, humorous, and honest views of Montaigne, revealing his thoughts on sexuality, religion, cannibals, intellectuals, and other unexpected themes. Included are such celebrated works as "On Solitude," "To Philosophize Is to Learn How to Die," and "On Experience."
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About the Author
Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne, was born in 1533, the son and heir of Pierre, Seigneur de Montaigne (two previous children dying soon after birth). He was brought up to speak Latin as his mother tongue and always retained a Latin turn of mind; though he knew Greek, he preferred to use translations. After studying law he eventually became counselor to the Parlement of Bordeaux. He married in 1565. In 1569 he published his French version of the Natural Theology of Raymond Sebond; his Apology is only partly a defense of Sebond and sets skeptical limits to human reasoning about God, man and nature. He retired in 1571 to his lands at Montaigne, devoting himself to reading and reflection and to composing his Essays (first version, 1580). He loathed the fanaticism and cruelties of the religious wars of the period, but sided with Catholic orthodoxy and legitimate monarchy. He was twice elected Mayor of Bordeaux (1581 and 1583), a post he held for four years. He died at Montaigne (1592) while preparing the final, and richest, edition of his Essays.
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It was a New Year's Eve, it was snowing in the North. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
It was a New Year's Eve, it was snowing in the North. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Book groupie
Format:Paperback
I bought this book as our bookgroup had been reading the Biography of Montaigne- How to Live. I was insired to read more. this is a lovely collection of his best essays, many of which are mentioned in the biography, and easy to dip into, and small enough to carry in a handbag. It is not a book to read cover to cover, but as the essays vary in length one can dip in and out of it.
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By C. Heneghan
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was unhappy that this volume, entitled "Essays" should more accurately be entitled "Essay Selections". It might be thought that unless it says "Complete Essays", no-one should think it complete. I would argue that where a selection has been made, that should be clear, and where some of the selections are, as some of these appear to be, extracts rather than whole essays, that should also be clear. "Selections and extracts from the essays of Montaigne" might be the appropriate title.
CH
CH
21 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Michel de Montaigne is considered by many to be the inventor of the literary form of the essay, so the collection from which these excerpts come is important in several ways. Montaigne was a humanist and a skeptic in his philosophical approach, and essentially looked at his own experience as the first topic for examination always.
The book of Essays was one he worked on periodically throughout his life, issuing different editions, the first of which appeared in 1580. Montaigne's style of writing is sometimes stream-of-consciousness, sometimes structured in more formal styles.
Montaigne's stated task in his preface to the reader is for self-examination, but it becomes very clear that Montaigne sees himself as an 'everyman' character. He strives for full-disclosure; indeed, he writes that were he another culture 'which are said to live still in the sweet freedom of nature's first laws', then he might have appeared naked.
This is a complete set of the Essays, together with a helpful introduction and notes for reading. As Montaigne added to his essays periodically, they are not necessarily in the order he wrote them, but this collection has preserved their order according to his standards.
Montaigne's essays show a pessimism and skepticism, perhaps based on the kinds of conflicts between Catholics and Protestants going on, in France and elsewhere, as well as the periodic flare of plague. He was a humanist who saw cultures as having value internal to themselves and preferred to not universalise morals, laws and other ideas.
Montaigne was sometimes conventional in thought (seeing marriage as necessary for children, and distrusting the idea of romantic love), but other times he was very much a free thinker (particularly when it came to religious dogma or absolutist kinds of philosophical paradigms). Montaigne had respect for those who followed religious codes and ways of life, but distrusted those who tried to impose such ideas upon others.
Montaigne added to his essays twice in major ways, but did not strive for consistency or systematic ways of thinking - he declined to remove previous essays if they contradicted new writings.
Montaigne is perhaps the most important French philosopher prior to the Enlightenment. His essays remain popular because they have a sense of the modern and the current about them.
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I read an article by Lord Robert Winstone and he mentioned this book so I thought I would try it- and I also ordered one as a gift for someone.. Read more
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All good. The product arrived as described; this is one of my favourite books! I love it. Well worth a read.
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