eBook

Montaigne's politics

Fontana, Biancamaria

2008,2010

Overview

Michel de Montaigne (1533-92) is principally known today as a literary figure--the inventor of the modern essay and the pioneer of autobiographical self-exploration who retired from politics in midlife to write his private, philosophical, and apolitical Essais. But, as Biancamaria Fontana argues in Montaigne's Politics, a novel, vivid account of the political meaning of the Essais in the context of Montaigne's life and times, his retirement from the Bordeaux parliament in 1570 \"could be said to have marked the beginning, rather than the end, of his public career.\" He later served as mayor of Bordeaux and advisor to King Henry of Navarre, and, as Fontana argues, Montaigne's Essais very much reflect his ongoing involvement and preoccupation with contemporary politics--particularly the politics of France's civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. Fontana shows that the Essais, although written as a record of Montaigne's personal experiences, do nothing less than set forth the first major critique of France's ancien rgime, anticipating the main themes of Enlightenment writers such as Voltaire and Diderot. Challenging the views that Montaigne was politically aloof or evasive, or that he was a conservative skeptic and supporter of absolute monarchy, Fontana explores many of the central political issues in Montaigne's work--the reform of legal institutions, the prospects of religious toleration, the role of public opinion, and the legitimacy of political regimes.

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Subject: Anti-intellectualism / Antonio de Guevara / Apostasy / Cato the Younger / Christianity / Conscience / Consideration / Counter-Reformation / Cowardice / Criticism / Cruelty / Demagogue / Diktat / Edict / Edict of Nantes / Erudition / Essais / Fall of the Western Roman Empire / Falsity / French Wars of Religion / Fronde / Gallicanism / Good faith / Heresy / Huguenot / Hypocrisy / Ideal type / Imperialism / Institution / Intimidation / Jean Bodin / Jean-Jacques Rousseau / Language & Literature / Legislation / LITERARY CRITICISM / European / French / Loyalty / Michel de Montaigne / Montaigne, Michel de, 1533-1592 -- Political and social views / MONTAIGNE, MICHEL DE, 1533–1592 / MONTAIGNE, MICHEL DE, 1533–1592. ESSAIS / Morality / Niccolò Machiavelli / Obscurantism / Opportunism / Pacifism / Paganism / Parlement / Persecution / PHILOSOPHY / PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Modern / PHILOSOPHY / Political / Pierre Charron / POLITICAL AND SOCIAL VIEWS / Political philosophy / Politics / Politique / Prejudice / Protestantism / Pyrrhonism / Quietism (Christian philosophy) / Religion / Religious war / Result / Ruler / Sedition / Skepticism / Slavery / Society of Jesus / Subversion / Superiority (short story) / The Estates / The Other Hand / The Philosopher / The Spirit of the Laws / Toleration / Torture / Uncertainty / Venality / Wickedness / Writing
• ISBN: 9780691131221, 0691131228, 1400824516, 9781400824519