Education, religion, scepticism, politics, friendship, sex, and style - Montaigne's major themes are revealed here in the making of a text that practises freedom of thought by putting it to the test. This is an audacious close reading of the Essays and a demonstration of how Montaigne's great book continues to speak to the present.
"Luminously clear, persuasive and thought-provoking." (Sarah Bakewell, author of 'How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer')
"In this accessible and attractively written literary companion to the thought of the 'Essais', Richard Scholar tells first-time readers all they need to know, while at the same time offering a bold new image of Montaigne as a writer committed to the adventure of free-thinking." (Terence Cave, author of 'How to Read Montaigne')
"Learned, rich in insights and always accessible, Scholar's book will appeal to seasoned readers of Montaigne as well as to those approaching the 'Essais' for the first time." (Mary B. McKinley, author of 'Words in a Corner: Studies in Montaigne's Latin Quotations')
"In this accessible and attractively written literary companion to the thought of the 'Essais', Richard Scholar tells first-time readers all they need to know, while at the same time offering a bold new image of Montaigne as a writer committed to the adventure of free-thinking." (Terence Cave, author of 'How to Read Montaigne')
"Learned, rich in insights and always accessible, Scholar's book will appeal to seasoned readers of Montaigne as well as to those approaching the 'Essais' for the first time." (Mary B. McKinley, author of 'Words in a Corner: Studies in Montaigne's Latin Quotations')