One of the most life altering essays I’ve ever read is Montaigne’s To Philosophize Is To Die (https://hyperessays.net/essays/to-philosophize-is-to-learn-t...) where he lays out the principle of memento mori (“remember to die”). Fear of death is often very debilitating, and a topic we all like to avoid but we all have to deal with it, sooner or later. The sooner you accept it, the freer (and happier) you’ll feel.
The essays of Michel de Montaigne online
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Re: The essays of Michel de Montaigne online
#12Monsieur de Montaigne’s observations are highly above the average as concerns wealthy people advising everyone what to do with a nobleman’s time and resources.
As a new magistrate or nobleman it’s a decent place to start winding up with something better than a Tesla and a Substack advising people how to inherit a monopoly.
But for us plebs, it’s about as compelling as any other bunch of dandies on a tennis court.
Re: The essays of Michel de Montaigne online
#13Monsieur de Montaigne’s observations are highly above the average as concerns wealthy people advising everyone what to do with a nobleman’s time and resources. As a new magistrate or nobleman it’s a decent place to start winding up with something better than a Tesla and a Substack advising people how to inherit a monopoly. But for us plebs, it’s about as compelling as any other bunch of dandies on a tennis court.
You want some carcinogenic French thought? May I introduce you to Julien Offray de La Mettrie.
Re: The essays of Michel de Montaigne online
#14Okay I’ll bite. The essay on raising children piqued my interest. The first two paragraphs: > I never yet saw that father, but let his son be never so decrepit or deformed, would not, notwithstanding, own him: not, nevertheless, if he were not totally besotted, and blinded with his paternal affection, that he did not well enough discern his defects: but that with all defaults, he was still his. Just so, I see better…
Did you translate the original French to modern English or modernize the new translation?
I wonder how those would compare. Translating the original would probably be the 'correct' thing to do, from a literary point of view. Poses some interesting question, though.
Re: The essays of Michel de Montaigne online
#15Okay I’ll bite. The essay on raising children piqued my interest. The first two paragraphs: > I never yet saw that father, but let his son be never so decrepit or deformed, would not, notwithstanding, own him: not, nevertheless, if he were not totally besotted, and blinded with his paternal affection, that he did not well enough discern his defects: but that with all defaults, he was still his. Just so, I see better…
For a non native English speaker the "translation" is much more readable and can convey more information to me. The old text is kind of comprehensible to me, but I have to read really slow, re-read parts and think a lot to understand.
Re: The essays of Michel de Montaigne online
#16A translation into modern French might be an interesting addition.
Re: The essays of Michel de Montaigne online
#17Great effort !
The most striking things to me when I started reading the Essays, is how much it reads like... A blog.
Variety of topics, general consistency of theme, a tone that is surprisingly conversationnal... And the bombardment of references, in jokes, quotes, etc... that you use to create connivence with your reader.
Also, in the end, if you were asked what Montaigne was famous for, what he actually did, _beyond writing his blog_, you would be... hard pressed to answer.
Still, I would probably lurk his substack, and watch his stand up on Instagram.
Re: The essays of Michel de Montaigne online
#18Thank you for your efforts. One of my favorite quotes of all time: "’Tis an absolute and, as it were, a divine perfection, for a man to know how loyally to enjoy his being. We seek other conditions, by reason we do not understand the use of our own; and go out of ourselves, because we know not how there to reside. ’Tis to much purpose to go upon stilts, for, when upon stilts, we must yet walk with our legs; and, when…
Notice that the original does not mince words : "Et au plus eslevé throne du monde, si ne sommes assis que sus notre cul".
Re: The essays of Michel de Montaigne online
#19There is already the excellent Screech translation and Frame translation(which seems popular with Americans) available, how is this different apart from being online.
Re: The essays of Michel de Montaigne online
#20Here are his works on Wikisources (in 7 languages, public domain): https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Michel_de_Montaigne