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A review by grimgaze
How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at An Answer by Sarah Bakewell
This is more than a biography of Montaigne, it is a contextualization of his essays, both the writing and the reception of them in the years since. It places Montaigne's work within the history of thought and relates it to what came before by discussing his influences and what came after by discussing his own influence. It is incredibly comprehensive in doing so. This is not just the life of Montaigne, but the life of his Essays as well, the editing of it, it's rise and falls, and it's everchanging interpretation based on the popular ideas of the times.
It is more topical than chronological in it’s approach, but still does manage to roughly give a chronological timeline of Montaignes life. Beyond his individual life, it also gives the overviews of the chaotic events of 16th century France: sectarian violence, wars, plagues, and more. It shows not only how these events influenced Montaigne, but also how his viewpoints and character influenced his own reaction to them. Even more, the character of Montaigne and how it relates to his writings is given a focus, how much of a consistency there is between the real man and how he portrayed himself.
I decided to read this book because I wanted to have a better understanding and context with which I could approach reading the Essays and it absolutely exceeded my expectations with it's scope and quality.
It is more topical than chronological in it’s approach, but still does manage to roughly give a chronological timeline of Montaignes life. Beyond his individual life, it also gives the overviews of the chaotic events of 16th century France: sectarian violence, wars, plagues, and more. It shows not only how these events influenced Montaigne, but also how his viewpoints and character influenced his own reaction to them. Even more, the character of Montaigne and how it relates to his writings is given a focus, how much of a consistency there is between the real man and how he portrayed himself.
I decided to read this book because I wanted to have a better understanding and context with which I could approach reading the Essays and it absolutely exceeded my expectations with it's scope and quality.