The Oxford Handbook of Montaigne

by Philippe Desan (Editor)

Overview

In 1580, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) published a book unique by its title and its content: Essays"R. A literary genre was born. At first sight, the Essays resemble a patchwork of personal reflections, but they engage with questions that animate the human mind, and tend toward a single goal: to live better in the present and to prepare for death. For this reason, Montaigne's thought and writings have been a subject of enduring interest across disciplines. This Handbook brings together essays by prominent scholars that examine Montaigne's literary, philosophical, and political contributions, and assess his legacy and relevance today in a global perspective.

The chapters of this Handbook offer a sweeping study of Montaigne across different disciplines and in a global perspective. One section covers the historical Montaigne, situating his thought in his own time and space, notably the Wars of Religion in France. The political, historical and religious context of Montaigne's Essays requires a rigorous presentation to inform the modern reader of the issues and problems that confronted Montaigne and his contemporaries in his own time.

In addition to this contextual approach to Montaigne, the Handbook also establishes a connection between Montaigne's writings and issues and problems directly relevant to our modern times, that is to say, our age of global ideology. Montaigne's considerations, or essays, offer a point of departure for the modern reader's own assessments. The Essays analyze what can be broadly defined as human nature, the endless process by which the individual tries to impose opinions upon others through the production of laws, policies or philosophies. Montaigne's motto — "What do I know?" — is a simple question yet one of perennial significance. One could argue that reading Montaigne today teaches us that the angle defines the world we see, or, as Montaigne wrote: "What matters is not merely that we see the thing, but how we see it."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190215330
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/11/2016
Series:	Oxford Handbooks
Pages:	840
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.80(h) x 1.90(d)

About the Author

Philippe Desan is Howard L. Willett Professor of French Literature and History of Culture at the University of Chicago. Among his most recent books are Montaigne: A Life (Princeton University Press, 2016), Bibliotheca Desaniana: Catalogue Montaigne (Classiques Garnier, 2011), and Montaigne: Les formes du monde et de l'esprit (Presses de l'Université Paris-Sorbonne, 2008). He edited the Essays of 1582 (2005), the Bordeaux Copy of the Essays (2002), and Montaigne's Travel Journal (2014), and is the general editor of Montaigne Studies.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS
Note on editions
Montaigne's Essays: A Book Consubstantial with its Author
Philippe Desan

PART I: HISTORICAL MONTAIGNE
1. From Eyquem to Montaigne
Philippe Desan
2. Montaigne's Education
George Hoffmann
3. The Humanist Tradition and Montaigne
John O'Brien
4. Montaigne, Translator of Raymond Sebond
Mireille Habert
5. La Boétie and Montaigne
Michel Magnien
6. The Public Life of Montaigne
Philippe Desan
7. Montaigne and the Wars of Religion
Mark Greengrass
8. Publishing History of the Essays
Jean Balsamo
9. Montaigne's Travel Journal
François Rigolot
10. Montaigne, the New World, and Precolonialisms
Timothy Reiss
11. Montaigne and History
John Lyons
12. Montaigne's Political Thought
Biancamaria Fontana
13. Montaigne's Turn to Modern Philosophy
Ann Hartle
14. Montaigne: Early Modern, Modern, Postmodern
Zachary Schiffman

PART II: RECEPTION OF MONTAIGNE
15. Montaigne in the World
Paul Smith
16. Montaigne in England and America
Warren Boutcher
17. Montaigne and Shakespeare
William Hamlin
18. Montaigne and Descartes
Michael Moriarty

PART III: MODERN AND GLOBAL MONTAIGNE
19. Montaigne on Language
Katie Chenoweth
20. Montaigne on Style
Kathy Eden
21. Montaigne on Rhetoric
Déborah Knop
22. Montaigne on Reading
Peter Mack
23. Montaigne on Free Thinking
Richard Scholar
24. Montaigne on Self
Marie-Clarté Lagrée
25. Montaigne on Justice and Law
Valérie M. Dionne
26. Montaigne on Violence
Cynthia Nazarian
27. Montaigne on Virtue and Ethics
Ullrich Langer
28. Montaigne on Faith and Religion
Alain Legros
29. Montaigne on Truth and Skepticism
Jan Miernowski
30. Montaigne on Gender
Todd W. Reeser
31. Montaigne on Women
Mary McKinley
32. Montaigne on Empathy
Sarah Bakewell
33. Montaigne on Friendship
Eric McPhail
34. Montaigne on Love
Elizabeth Guild
35. Montaigne on Memory
Andrea Frisch
36. Montaigne on Curiosity
Zahi Zalloua
37. Montaigne on Imagination
Wes Williams
38. Montaigne on Alterity
Tom Conley
39. Montaigne on Monsters and Monstrosity
Kathleen Long
40. Montaigne on Animals
Thierry Gontier
41. Montaigne on Aging
Cynthia Skenazi
42. Montaigne on Health and Death
Dorothea Heitsch

Conclusion: Bibliographic and Research Resources on Montaigne
Philippe Desan

Editorial Reviews

"In conclusion, it is in the domain of pedagogy that The Oxford Handbook of Montaigne has the potential to shine the brightest. It can provide instructors not only with a sense of what is at stake in Montaigne, but with an idea of what essays to assign or excerpt, as well as readymade secondary readings and useful, albeit somewhat scant, suggestions for further reading. Hopefully, Desan and his fellow contributors have started a trend that will someday see Oxford Handbooks for other luminaries of early modern France." —Scott M. Francis, Renaissance Quarterly

"This is obviously a book that the reader delves into as the need arises. ... [the chapters] are all learned, they are all informative, and they all make us think about Montaigne in ways that diverge from tradition. Most importantly, they are almost all stimulating to read." —John McClelland, Renaissance and Reformation

From the Publisher