Overview

In his Essais, Montaigne stresses that his theoretical interest in philosophy goes hand in hand with its practicality. In fact, he makes it clear that there is little reason to live our lives according to doctrine without proof that others have successfully done so. Understanding Montaigne’s philosophical thought, therefore, means not only studying the philosophies of the great thinkers, but also the characters and ways of life of the philosophers themselves. The focus of Montaigne and the Lives of the Philosophers: Life Writing and Transversality in the Essais is how Montaigne assembled the lives of the philosophers on the pages of his Essais in order to grapple with two fundamental aims of his project: first, to transform the teaching of moral philosophy, and next, to experiment with a transverse construction of his self. Both of these objectives grew out of a dialogue with the structure and content in the life writing of Plutarch and Diogenes Laertius, authors whose books were bestsellers during the essayist’s lifetime.

Full Product Details

Author:   Alison Calhoun
Publisher:   Rowman & Littlefield
Imprint:   University of Delaware Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 23.10cm
Weight:   0.322kg
ISBN:  

9781611495539

ISBN 10:   1611495539
Pages:   216
Publication Date:   29 August 2016
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction: Montaigne and Transversality Chapter 1: Montaigne’s Two Plutarchs Plutarch and the Lives as Moral Philosophy Comparison in the Sixteenth Century and Plutarch’s Parallels Comparison and Knowledge Parallel Lives of the Philosophers Montaigne Parallel to the Philosophers Opposition and Discussion: Montaigne and La Boétie Chapter 2: Assembling Strange Flowers: Montaigne and Diogenes Laertius Doxographer, Poet, Biographer Montaigne’s Passage Montaigne’s Philosophical Tabloids Lowered Standards for Wisdom and Virtue: Stories of Hypocrisy and Conversion Chapter 3: Montaigne’s Pyrrho Sources for Montaigne’s Pyrrho The Renaissance Transmission of the Life of Pyrrho In Search of a Livable Skepticism Pyrrho and Montaigne in the Same Boat A Language of Humanness Chapter 4: The Deaths of the Philosophers Getting Used to Death: Montaigne’s Brother, The Riding Accident, La Boétie “The Bottom of the Pot”: Unmasking and Speaking Plain French Philosophers in Pain: Seneca and Epicurus A “Reasonable Exit”: Socrates and Diogenes of Sinope Chapter 5: The Fabrication of Michel de Montaigne Marie de Gournay’s Transverse Self The Vie de Montaigne and the Honnête Homme The Pierre Coste Edition: Continuing the Essay Project Conclusion : Montaigne’s Transverse Self Bibliography Index About the Author

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Alison Calhoun is assistant professor of French at Indiana University.

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