The Cambridge Companion to Montaigne

Description

Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), the great Renaissance skeptic and pioneer of the essay form, is known for his innovative method of philosophical inquiry which mixes the anecdotal and the personal with serious critiques of human knowledge, politics and the law. He is the first European writer to be intensely interested in the representations of his own intimate life, including not just his reflections and emotions but also the state of his body. His rejection of fanaticism and cruelty and his admiration for the civilizations of the New World mark him out as a predecessor of modern notions of tolerance and acceptance of otherness. In this volume an international team of contributors explores the range of his philosophy and also examines the social and intellectual contexts in which his thought was expressed.

Ullrich Langer is Professor of French and Senior Fellow, Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

As befits the Cambridge Companion series, the sweep of this book's 11 clearly written chapters is impressive, embracing Montaigne's religious, political, judicial, and ethical thought, the latter being understood in Aristotle's sense of the search for the good life. The writing is accessible to the generalist while also helpful to the specialist. A chronology of Montaigne's life, a good bibliography, and a substantial index make this a valuable reference tool. Choice "readers of Early Modern philosophy will greatly benefit from the insights fathered in this book." Zahi Zalloua, Whitman College