Essais (or The Essays of Michel de Montaigne or Essays) is a nonfiction book written by Michel de Montaigne. Released in 1580, it is a collection of Montaigne's essays.
Publisher's summary[]
Modern reprint cover
Michel de Montaigne was one of the most influential figures of the Renaissance, singlehandedly responsible for popularising the essay as a literary form. This Penguin Classics edition of The Complete Essays is translated from the French and edited with an introduction and notes by M.A. Screech.
In 1572 Montaigne retired to his estates in order to devote himself to leisure, reading and reflection. There he wrote his constantly expanding 'assays', inspired by the ideas he found in books contained in his library and from 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. But, above all, Montaigne studied himself as a way of drawing out his own inner nature and that of men and women in general. The Essays are among the most idiosyncratic and personal works in all literature and provide an engaging insight into a wise Renaissance mind, continuing to give pleasure and enlightenment to modern readers.
Full summary[]
(PLACEHOLDER)
See also[]
| Title | Author | Release date | Signifigance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pensées | Blaise Pascal | 1670 (approx.) | A French work discussing religion written in a similar time period. |
| Essayes | Francis Bacon | 1597 | A collection of essays released in a similar time period. Montaigne is mentioned by Bacon. |
| Discourse on the Method | René Descartes | 1637 | A major work in French philosophy |
| The Spirit of Law | Montesquieu | 1748 | A major work in French philosophy and law |
| Meditations | Marcus Aurelius | 161-180 | A collection of philosophical essays |
| On the Consolation of Philosophy | Ancius Boethis | 524 | A collection of philosophical essays |
Sources[]
- Goodreads
- Wikipedia