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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 indispensable 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.
Acknowledgments ix
Prologue xi
Introduction xvii
Questions of Method and the Politics of a Book xix
Part One--Ambitions
1 The Eyquems' Social Ascension 3
A Family Matter 7
"Nobilibus parentibus" 13
Living Nobly 20
"We Latinized Ourselves" 28
The Balance Sheet of a Humanist Education 37
2 A First Career as a Magistrate (1556-1570) 48
Parlementary Habitus 55
From the Cour des Aides in Périgueux to the Parlement in Bordeaux 67
Michel de Montaigne, Royal Councillor 84
The Religious Question 101
3 La Boétie and Montaigne: Discourse on Servitude and Essay of Allegiance 112
The Letter about La Boétie's Death 117
La Boétie's Political Treatises: The Memorandum and the Discourse 123
Voluntary Servitude and Allegiance 133
The Politics of a Friendship 143
4 "Witness My Cannibals": The Encounter with the Indians of the New World 155
Tupinambas and Tabajaras 159
From Rouen to Bordeaux 167
"Their Warfare Is Wholly Noble and Generous" 175
A "Simulacrum of the Truth" 179
5 The Making of a Gentleman (1570-1580) 183
The Break with the Parlement 185
Montaigne as Editor of La Boétie's Works 199
Dedicatees Influential at the Court 207
An Inconvenient Publication 217
An Influential Neighbor: The Marquis of Trans 222
Honorific Rewards and Clientelism 232
Montaigne at Work 246
6 The Essais of 1580: Moral, Political, and Military Discourses 254
"A Discourse on My Life and Actions" 256
The First Reader of the Essais 269
"Of the Battle of Gods" 277
An Apology for Sebond or a Justification of Montaigne? 285
A Skeleton in the Closet 299
A Royal Audience and a Military Siege 307
Part Two--Practices
7 The Call of Rome, or How Montaigne Never Became an Ambassador (1580-1581) 319
On Territory "Subject to the Emperor" 321
The Ambassador's Trade 326
A Montaigne in Spain 351
Montaigne in Rome 357
Paul de Foix and the Suspicion of Heresy 371
Roman Citizen 377
The Essais "Castigated and Brought into Harmony with the Opinions of the Monkish Doctors" 386
The Sociability of the Baths 392
The Travel Journal and the Secretary 401
8 "Messieurs of Bordeaux Elected Me Mayor of Their City" (1581-1585) 408
The Mayor's Book 412
Bordeaux and Its Administration 422
The Public Welfare 436
A Contested Reelection 444
Manager of the City and "Tender Negotiator" 455
An "Administration . . . without a Mark or a Trace"? 473
9 "Benignity of the Great" and "Public Ruin" (1585-1588) 482
"Through an Extraordinarily Ticklish Part of the Country" 487
Secret Mission 501
"I Buy Printers in Guienne, Elsewhere They Buy Me" 508
Imprisoned in the Bastille 523
"A Girl in Picardy" 530
Observer at the Estates General of Blois 539
"Actum est de Gallia" 545
10 The Marginalization of Montaigne (1588-1592) 549
A Tranquil Life 551
"The Only Book in the World of Its Kind" 566
From History to the Essay: Commynes and Tacitus 580
Socrates or Political Suicide 589
Montaigne's Death 603
Part Three--Post Mortem
11 Montaigne's Political Posterity 613
Political Appropriations 614
Censure and Morality 621
Epilogue 631
Abbreviations 635
Notes 637
Bibliography 723
Translations Cited 765
Index 767
Description
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 indispensable 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.
