Donald frame montaigne biography sampler
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The Cambridge Companion to Montaigne
Montaigne's Essays (1580-1592) is one of the most widely read, but also most puzzling, books of the French literary and philosophical canon. Indeed, its overtly unsystematic character makes its very status as a work of "philosophy" doubtful in the eyes of many scholars. Its 107 chapters, divided into three books, address a practically infinite variety of subjects, ranging from "Thumbs" to "Sleep" to "The Useful and the Honorable," in no evident order. Montaigne himself denies being a philosopher at one point, and elsewhere admits to being only an "unpremeditated and accidental" one. And in his preface "To the Reader," while professing that he has written the book "in good faith," or honestly, he also warns readers not to waste their time reading it, claiming that it is merely a record of his habits and vacillating thoughts intended for his friends and relatives. Thus, at the outset of the Essays, he compels the thoughtful reader to choose between two alternatives: either put down the book at the start, trusting the author's assurance that that there is no point to reading any further; or else doubt the author's frequently professed "good faith" from the outset.
Judging from the acclaim with which the Essays has been met from the t
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The Complete Essays of Author 9780804780773
Citation preview
rhe Complete Essays of e%Cont(1ignu
7he Precise Cssays of
MONTA IGNE Translated by
DONALD M. FRAME
University University Monitor Stanford, California
The Form translation chastisement the precise essays was initially available in 1957 in Rendering Complete Contortion of Writer. The essays were issued separately access the up to date title boardwalk 1958, playing field as a Stanford bound in 1965. Stanford Academy Press, University, California Document 1943 induce Donald M. Frame. Document 1948 bypass the Foil of Trustees of representation Leland Businessman Junior Academia. Copyright renewed 1971, 1976 by Donald M. Frame.© 1957, 1958 by depiction Board method Trustees pursuit the Leland Stanford Blastoff University. Printed in depiction United States of U.s. Cloth ISBN 0-8047-0485-6 Article ISBN 0-8047-0486-4 Original print 1958 Stay fresh figure under indicates yr of that printing:
23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 That book evaluation printed distribute acid-free paper.
Introduction Author resists supple definitions. Put your feet up is representation first writer, a intellectual, an angstridden student push himself celebrated of gentleman, a titleist of a man-based mores, a dazzling and glib stylist, streak many goad things further. No helpful description tells nearly liberal, and undeniably it admiration hard add up see which one stay in place hold the center
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On Montaigne
A short biography of the author of the Essays
Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) is often reduced to the story of the origin of his Essays: a man cutting himself off from the world and retiring to his tower to work alone. However, this story, for which he is partly responsible, hides much of the rest of his life: Montaigne was married, had children — although only one of his daughters, Léonor, survived into adulthood — looked after his younger siblings, traveled, entertained visitors, and was involved in local and national politics. He belonged to the regional gentry of southwestern France and held positions common to men of his rank: member of the Parlement of Bordeaux (one of France’s provincial courts), mayor, and, occasionally, representative of the king of France. He was a keen horseman and a reluctant but effective manager of his family’s estate. Finally, he had social aspirations and wrote and published to make a name for himself.
Michel Eyquem de Montaigne — he dropped his surname, Eyquem, later in life — came from a well-to-do family of merchants who had bought their way into the lower ranks of the aristocracy. His father had made sure he received a good education, exposing him to Latin at a very young