Montaigne : a life / Philippe Desan ; translated by Steven Rendall and Lisa Neal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Desan, Philippe, author.

Contributor:

Neal, Lisa (Lisa Dow), translator.

Rendall, Steven, translator.

Standardized Title:

Montaigne: Une biographie politique. English

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Authors, French--16th century--Biography.

Authors, French.

Montaigne, Michel de, 1533-1592--Political and social views.

Montaigne, Michel de.

Montaigne, Michel de, 1533-1592.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxxv, 796 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2017]

Summary:

One of the most important writers and thinkers of the Renaissance, Michel de Montaigne (1533-92) helped invent a literary genre that seemed more modern than anything that had come before. But did he do it, as he suggests in his Essays, by retreating to his chateau, turning his back on the world, and stoically detaching himself from his violent times? In this definitive biography, Philippe Desan, one of the world's leading authorities on Montaigne, overturns this longstanding myth by showing that Montaigne was constantly concerned with realizing his political ambitions-and that the literary and philosophical character of the Essays largely depends on them. The most comprehensive and authoritative biography of Montaigne yet written, this sweeping narrative offers a fascinating new picture of his life and work.As Desan shows, Montaigne always considered himself a political figure and he conceived of each edition of the Essays as an indispensable prerequisite to the next stage of his public career. He lived through eight civil wars, successfully lobbied to be raised to the nobility, and served as mayor of Bordeaux, special ambassador, and negotiator between Henry III and Henry of Navarre. It was only toward the very end of Montaigne's life, after his political failure, that he took refuge in literature. But, even then, it was his political experience that enabled him to find the right tone for his genre.In this essential biography, we discover a new Montaigne-caught up in the events of his time, making no separation between private and public life, and guided by strategy first in his words and silences. Neither candid nor transparent, but also not yielding to the cynicism of his age, this Montaigne lends a new depth to the Montaigne of literary legend.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Introduction

Part One. Ambitions

Chapter 1. The Eyquems' Social Ascension

Chapter 2. A First Career as a Magistrate (1556-1570)

Chapter 3. La Boétie and Montaigne: Discourse on Servitude and Essay of Allegiance

Chapter 4. "Witness My Cannibals": The Encounter with the Indians of the New World

Chapter 5. The Making of a Gentleman (1570-1580)

Chapter 6. The Essais of 1580: Moral, Political, and Military Discourses

Part Two. Practices

Chapter 7. The Call of Rome, or How Montaigne Never Became an Ambassador (1580-1581)

Chapter 8. "Messieurs of Bordeaux Elected Me Mayor of Their City" (1581-1585)

Chapter 9. "Benignity of the Great" and "Public Ruin" (1585-1588)

Chapter 10. The Marginalization of Montaigne (1588-1592)

Part Three. Post Mortem

Chapter 11. Montaigne's Political Posterity

Epilogue

Abbreviations

Notes

Bibliography

Translations Cited

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Mai 2019)

ISBN:

9781400883394

9780691183008

0691183007

OCLC:

1132663994