Michael de montaigne biography of george
Michael de montaigne biography of george orwell.
Michael de montaigne biography of george
Montaigne, Michel de
BORN: 1533, Chateau de Montaigne, France
DIED: 1592, Chateau de Montaigne, France
NATIONALITY: French
GENRE: Nonfiction
MAJOR WORKS:
Essays (1580)
Overview
French author Michel de Montaigne, the inventor of the essay form as a literary genre, raised introspection to the level of art in his monumental Essays (1580).
The French essai means an experiment, test, or attempt, and such was Montaigne's intention in his writing: to attempt to understand himself, and by extension, the human condition. In so doing, Montaigne extended his questioning
to the very limits of human knowledge.
His sustained skepticism contributed to the development of what is today termed “critical thinking,” at the heart of the humanities.
Works in Biographical and Historical Context
Well-Educated in Youth Montaigne was born Michel Eyquem in 1533 at his family's estate in the district of Perigord, in the Gascony region of France.
Although his forebears had long been