Essays

Living at a time of religious strife and the decline of the intellectual optimism that had begun in the Renaissance, Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-1592) expressed in his writings both a deep skepticism about human affairs and a wide-ranging intellectual curiosity reflective of the age. His was not a systematic philosophy; rather, he wrote pieces that were attempts at knowledge-essays in understanding, or essais, as he called them in French. He thus inaugurated a new literary genre that proved to be very influential. <p>Despite his skepticism, Montaigne realized that the intellectual horizon of his day was full of exciting new developments. His essays reflect many interests, plus a refreshing honesty about the frailties of human nature. Montaigne writes about vanity, the value of friendship, "That to Study Philosophy Is to Learn to Die," and a host of other topics.</p> <p> Filled with insights and keen observations that have inspired later writers as diverse as William Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Gustave Flaubert, Virginia Woolf, and Roland Barthes, the Essays of Montaigne should be on the essential reading list of every student, scholar, and book lover.</p>

Author(s): Michel de Montaigne  

ISBN 10: 014017897X
ISBN 13: 9780140178975
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback
Publication: July 1993
Edition: Reprint