Montaigne

1533-1592

Aquitaine in the south east of France

• ..\My Videos\RealPlayer Downloads\Kenneth Clark on Michel de Montaigne.flv

French War of Religion

• In the 1560s, civil war broke out in France between Catholics and Protestants. During the St Bartholomew’s Eve massacre (1572), 5,000 Protestants were killed in Paris.

Château de Montaigne In 1571 he retired here to study, read, and write.

Tower

Montaigne’s library

Carving on the roof beam of Montaigne’s study

Homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto. (Terentius)

• ..\My Videos\RealPlayer Downloads\Montaigne, the great French essayist..flv

• 1580 - Journey to Italy

• 1580 - 1585 Mayor of Bordeaux

The essay -

as a literary genre

- published

in1580, 1588, and 1595

• Book I – 57 essays

• Book II – 37 essays

• Book III – 13 essays

• Collection of observations and meditations on readings, on events past and present, on general human attitudes

Montaigne: philosopher, scholar, writer

• Freedom of the mind and peacefulness of the soul

• Standards of judgment are molded by cultural values

• Our customs guide our behaviors

• Free judgment can help us overcome the limitations imposed by our customs.