To overcome a crisis of melancholy after the death of his father, Montaigne withdrew to his country estates and began to write, and in the highly original essays that resulted he discussed themes such as fathers and children, conscience and cowardice, coaches and cannibals, and, above all, himself. "On Some Lines of Virgil" opens out into a frank discussion of sexuality and makes a revolutionary case for the equality of the sexes. In "On Experience" he superbly propounds his thoughts on the right way to live, while other essays touch on issues of an age struggling with religious and intellectual strife, with France torn apart by civil war. These diverse subjects are united by Montaigne's distinctive voice - that of a tolerant man, sceptical, humane, often humorous and utterly honest in his pursuit of the truth.
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Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French
Original Language: French
About the Author
Born in 1533, Montaigne studied law and spent a number of years working as a counsellor before devoting his life to reading, writing and reflection. He died in 1586. Dr M.A. Screech is regarded as the world's greatest authority on Montaigne.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars for Montaigne, One for Screech,
By Diego Banducci (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Essays: A Selection (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
Over the years I have kept a copy of the Essays by my favorite reading chair to be enjoyed at random, particularly in the middle of the night when Entropy seems to hold the upper hand. They exercise a remarkable calming effect.
Seduced by the idea of having a complete set of all the Essays, I initially opted for the complete Screech translation, but found it wooden and pedantic. I moved to the Cohen translation, which does not include all of the Essays, but has all of the major ones and is far more enjoyable.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it,
This review is from: The Essays: A Selection (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
What a wonderful book to have on the bookshelf. It took me about a year and half to read it, as I would leisurely consume an essay or two while between books, or if I was just looking for a pleasant respite from my other reading. Montaigne is every bit as readable, fascinating and wise as the judgment of history has deemed him.
6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wherever we read we meet the man,
By Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Essays: A Selection (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
Montaigne goes on his adventures of mind, and explores worlds seemingly far from his own , and yet always somehow leads us back to himself. His digressions and his ramblings in thought mark a new stage of discovery in the human mind's quest to know and understand itself. Like his great contemporary Shakespeare he belongs to an old world dying, and a new world not yet quite born which he in straddling makes anew.
Whatever the subject he opens up for those who come after a new way of thinking and exploring.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
[This first chapter treats of war and history, subjects appropriate to a nobleman. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
colic paroxysms, legibus connubialibus, melancholy humour Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Diogenes Laertius, City of God, Nicomachaean Ethics, Tiers Livre, Coelius Richerius Rhodiginus, Julius Caesar, Justus Lipsius, Diodorus Siculus, Aulus Gellius, Gallic Wars, Margaret of Navarre, Pliny the Younger, Quintus Curtius, Golden Age, Holy Ghost, Nicolas Chalcocondylas, Plato's Symposium, Polydore Vergil, Ravisius Textor, Reformed Church, Wars of Religion, Attic Nights, Blaise de Vigenère, Collège de Guyenne, Francisco Lopez de Gomara New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
[This first chapter treats of war and history, subjects appropriate to a nobleman. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
colic paroxysms, legibus connubialibus, melancholy humour Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Diogenes Laertius, City of God, Nicomachaean Ethics, Tiers Livre, Coelius Richerius Rhodiginus, Julius Caesar, Justus Lipsius, Diodorus Siculus, Aulus Gellius, Gallic Wars, Margaret of Navarre, Pliny the Younger, Quintus Curtius, Golden Age, Holy Ghost, Nicolas Chalcocondylas, Plato's Symposium, Polydore Vergil, Ravisius Textor, Reformed Church, Wars of Religion, Attic Nights, Blaise de Vigenère, Collège de Guyenne, Francisco Lopez de Gomara New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 42
books:
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- City of God (Concerning the City of God Against the Pagans) (Pelican Classics) by Augustine of Hippo on 19 pages
- Plato's Symposium: A Translation by Seth Benardete with Commentaries by Allan Bloom and Seth Benardete by Plato on page 45, page 285, and page 297
- on page 106, and page 176
- Piers the Ploughman (Penguin Classics) by William Langland in Back Matter
- Troilus and Criseyde (Oxford World's Classics) by Geoffrey Chaucer in Back Matter
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