Montaigne and the lives of the philosophers : life writing and transversality in the Essais

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. Content: 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 Boetie 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 Boetie "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 Honnete Homme The Pierre Coste Edition: Continuing the Essay Project Conclusion : Montaigne's Transverse Self Bibliography Index About the Author CONTENTS 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction: Montaigne and Transversality 10 1 Montaigne’s Two Plutarchs 22 2 Assembling Strange Flowers: Montaigne and Diogenes Laertius 58 3 Montaigne’s Pyrrho 88 4 The Deaths of the Philosophers 118 5 The Fabrication of Michel de Montaigne 148 Conclusion: Montaigne’s Transverse Self 180 Bibliography 184 Index 200 About the Author 212 This book rethinks Montaigne's philosophical thought in terms of transversality by investigating the essayist's debt to ancient life writers Diogenes Laertius and Plutarch. Its scope is therefore of interest to scholars of ancient and early modern life writing, ancient and early modern philosophy, as well as scholars of early modern literary history