MONTAIGNE - OVERVIEW

<BODY> <TABLE width=400 BORDER=0 CELLSPACING=2 CELLPADDING=1> <TR> <TD><IMG ALIGN=Left SRC="1001a.jpg" WIDTH="128" HEIGHT="150" ALT="MONTAIGNE"></TD> <TD><CENTER><FONT SIZE=5><B><FONT SIZE=6>MONTAIGNE</FONT><BR> THE SCEPTIC<P> (1533-1592)</B></FONT><BR><BR> "Que sçais-je? What do I know?" </CENTER></TD> </TR> </TABLE> <FONT SIZE=4><B>Overview</B></FONT><P> Michel Eyquem Montaigne was born in 1533, eldest son of of the seigneur de Montaigne. He was brought up to speak Latin from an early age and always retained a Latin frame of mind. He knew Greek, but always preferred to use translations. After studying law, he became counsellor to the Parlement of Bordeaux and spent time at the royal court in Paris and Rouen. In 1571, he retired to his estate at Montaigne and dedicated his time to contemplation and writing.<P> His writings took the innovative form of <I>essais</I> , the French word for trials, for each piece allowed him to test his response to different subjects. Thus was born both the term and the genre of the essay.<P> Montaigne's outlook was that of the <A HREF="../t03/g047.html" TARGET="_top">sceptic</A>. Reason was not to be trusted as a means to knowledge. He asks himself "What do I know?" and concludes that what he can know most about is himself. Montaigne himself is the basic subject for the essays which, in collection, form a sort of extended autobiography. <BR clear=left><BR> <HR width=100%> <A HREF="http://www.creatorix.com.au"><IMG SRC="../creatorix.gif" WIDTH="85" HEIGHT="40" BORDER="0" ALT="Creatorix" align=right></A> </BODY>