Michel de Montaigne
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| - | '''Michel Eyquem de Montaigne''' (28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592) was one of the most influential writers of the [[French Renaissance]], known for popularizing the [[essay]] as a [[literary genre]], and commonly thought of as the father of modern [[skepticism]]. He became famous for his effortless ability to merge serious intellectual exercises with casual anecdotes and autobiography—and his massive volume ''[[Essais]]'' (translated literally as "Attempts" or "Trials") contains, to this day, some of the most widely influential essays ever written. Montaigne had a direct influence on writers all over the world, including [[René Descartes]], [[Blaise Pascal]], [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]], [[Albert Hirschman]], [[William Hazlitt]], [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]], [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], [[Stefan Zweig]], [[Eric Hoffer]], [[Isaac Asimov]], and possibly on the later works of [[William Shakespeare]]. | + | '''Michel Eyquem de Montaigne''' (28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592) was one of the most influential writers of the [[French Renaissance]], known for popularizing the [[essay]] as a [[literary genre]], and commonly thought of as the father of modern [[skepticism]]. He became famous for his effortless ability to merge serious intellectual exercises with casual anecdotes and autobiography—and his massive volume ''[[Essais]]'' (translated literally as "Attempts" or "Trials") contains, to this day, some of the most widely influential essays ever written. Montaigne had a direct influence on writers all over the world, including [[René Descartes]], [[Blaise Pascal]], [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]], [[William Hazlitt]], [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]], [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], [[Stefan Zweig]], [[Isaac Asimov]], and possibly on the later works of [[William Shakespeare]]. |
| In his own time, Montaigne was admired more as a [[Politician|statesman]] than as an author. The tendency in his essays to digress into anecdotes and personal ruminations was seen as detrimental to proper style rather than as an innovation, and his declaration that, 'I am myself the matter of my book', was viewed by his contemporaries as self-indulgent. In time, however, Montaigne would be recognized as embodying, perhaps better than any other author of his time, the spirit of freely entertaining doubt which began to emerge at that time. He is most famously known for his skeptical remark, '''Que sçay-je''?' ('What do I know?' in [[Middle French]]; modern French ''Que sais-je?''). Remarkably modern even to readers today, Montaigne's attempt to examine the world through the lens of the only thing he can depend on implicitly—his own judgment—makes him more accessible to modern readers than any other author of the Renaissance. Much of modern literary non-fiction has found inspiration in Montaigne and writers of all kinds continue to read him for his masterful balance of intellectual knowledge and personal story-telling. | In his own time, Montaigne was admired more as a [[Politician|statesman]] than as an author. The tendency in his essays to digress into anecdotes and personal ruminations was seen as detrimental to proper style rather than as an innovation, and his declaration that, 'I am myself the matter of my book', was viewed by his contemporaries as self-indulgent. In time, however, Montaigne would be recognized as embodying, perhaps better than any other author of his time, the spirit of freely entertaining doubt which began to emerge at that time. He is most famously known for his skeptical remark, '''Que sçay-je''?' ('What do I know?' in [[Middle French]]; modern French ''Que sais-je?''). Remarkably modern even to readers today, Montaigne's attempt to examine the world through the lens of the only thing he can depend on implicitly—his own judgment—makes him more accessible to modern readers than any other author of the Renaissance. Much of modern literary non-fiction has found inspiration in Montaigne and writers of all kinds continue to read him for his masterful balance of intellectual knowledge and personal story-telling. | ||
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Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592) was one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance, known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre, and commonly thought of as the father of modern skepticism. He became famous for his effortless ability to merge serious intellectual exercises with casual anecdotes and autobiography—and his massive volume Essais (translated literally as "Attempts" or "Trials") contains, to this day, some of the most widely influential essays ever written. Montaigne had a direct influence on writers all over the world, including René Descartes, Blaise Pascal, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, William Hazlitt, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Friedrich Nietzsche, Stefan Zweig, Isaac Asimov, and possibly on the later works of William Shakespeare.
In his own time, Montaigne was admired more as a statesman than as an author. The tendency in his essays to digress into anecdotes and personal ruminations was seen as detrimental to proper style rather than as an innovation, and his declaration that, 'I am myself the matter of my book', was viewed by his contemporaries as self-indulgent. In time, however, Montaigne would be recognized as embodying, perhaps better than any other author of his time, the spirit of freely entertaining doubt which began to emerge at that time. He is most famously known for his skeptical remark, 'Que sçay-je?' ('What do I know?' in Middle French; modern French Que sais-je?). Remarkably modern even to readers today, Montaigne's attempt to examine the world through the lens of the only thing he can depend on implicitly—his own judgment—makes him more accessible to modern readers than any other author of the Renaissance. Much of modern literary non-fiction has found inspiration in Montaigne and writers of all kinds continue to read him for his masterful balance of intellectual knowledge and personal story-telling.
Contents |
Essay
- main Essays (Montaigne)
Montaigne is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre. He became famous for his effortless ability to merge serious intellectual speculation with casual anecdotes and autobiography — and his massive volume Essais (translated literally as "Attempts") contains, to this day, some of the most widely influential essays ever written.
Influence
Montaigne had a direct influence on writers the world over, from William Shakespeare to Ralph Waldo Emerson, from Friedrich Nietzsche to Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Montaigne is recognized as expressing, perhaps better than any other author of his time, the doubts and thoughts of his age. Remarkably modern even to readers today, Montaigne's attempt to examine the world through the lens of the only thing he can depend on implicitly — his own judgment — makes him more accessible than any other author of the Renaissance. Much of modern literary non-fiction owes its genesis to Montaigne, and writers of all kinds continue to read Montaigne for his masterful balance of intellectual knowledge and personal storytelling.
In his own time
In his own time, Montaigne was admired more as a statesman than as an author. His tendency in his essays to diverge into anecdotes and personal ruminations was seen as a detriment rather than an innovation, and his stated motto that "I am myself the matter of my book" was viewed by contemporary writers as self-indulgent.
See also
