The Complete Essays
In 1572, Montaigne retired to his estates in order to devote himself to leisure, reading and reflection. There he wrote his constantly expanding 'essays', inspired by the ideas he found in books from his library and his own experience. He discusses subjects as diverse as war-horses and cannibals,...
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In 1572, Montaigne retired to his estates in order to devote himself to leisure, reading and reflection. There he wrote his constantly expanding 'essays', inspired by the ideas he found in books from his library and his own experience. He discusses subjects as diverse as war-horses and cannibals, poetry and politics, sex and religion, love and friendship, ecstasy and experience. Above all, Montaigne studied himself to find his own inner nature and that of humanity. The Essays are among the most idiosyncratic and personal works in all literature. An insight into a wise Renaissance mind, they continue to engage, enlighten and entertain modern readers.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780140446043 (0140446044)
Publish date: September 7th 1993
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Pages no: 1344
Edition language: English
Category:
Classics,
Non Fiction,
Writing,
Essays,
History,
Literature,
European Literature,
Cultural,
Philosophy,
France,
French Literature,
16th Century
Normally I would wait until I have finished a book to write a commentary, however this book is a lot different in that is contains a large collection of essays on a multiple of subjects. Secondly, I have not been reading this book continually, but rather picking it up, reading a few essays, and then...
Montaigne is known as the father of the essay for good reason--he coined the very word for them. An essai is french for attempt--which gives you a sense of Montaigne's style and intent. They're very conversational, as if he's thinking out loud. A little rambling, yes, in the way the conversation wit...
Few things are more humbling that watching exceptional men humble themselves. In his collection of essays, nearly 900 pages long, Montaigne reflects on all things from the greatness of Rome to smells. With unpretentious ease, he references the western classical historians and philosophers who prov...
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