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Overview
The Essays of Michel de Montaigne, written between 1572 and 1592, are cherished by readers and considered literary classics by scholars. Hugo Friedrich's masterful study of Montaigne's life and work, first published in Germany in 1949 and widely acclaimed by German and French readers, is now available to an English-speaking audience.Friedrich considers the Montaigne of the Essays one of the first "moralists" in the French sense of the term, recording with anthropological fervor and in fresh, informal language the full spectrum of human thought and commerce as he saw it. Philippe Desan, who introduces this fine translation, commends Friedrich's holistic interpretation of Montaigne's unstructured creation, so often reduced by critics to its smallest fragments. Friedrich, says Desan, evokes "an epoch, distilled from accounts given by the best witness of the Renaissance."
Synopsis
Friedrich considers the Montaigne of the Essays on of the first "moralists" in the French sense of the term, recording with anthropological fervor and in fresh, informal language the full spectrum of human thought and commerce as he saw it. Philippe Desan, who introduces this fine translation, commends Friedrich's holistic interpretation of Montaigne's unstructured creation, so often reduced by critics to its smallest fragments. Friedrich, says Desan, evokes "an epoch, distilled from accounts given by the best witness of the Renaissance."
Library Journal
Michel de Montaigne's Essays , which explore widely diverse topics, were begun in 1572 when Montaigne was 38. To Friedrich, Montaigne is a descriptive anthropologist of Renaissance humanity rather than a defender of moral values. Friedrich interprets Montaigne's depiction of debased humanity, our animal helplessness; then demonstrates how Montaigne affirmed our humanity by describing the traits that make us admirable; and lastly discusses Montaigne's attempt to understand humankind by our own self-analysis. Friedrich stresses Montaigne's consent, obedience, and resignation toward life, recommending obedience to nature rather than Christian repentance in death. Though first published in Germany in 1949, Friedrich's is still one of the most comprehensive studies of the Essays . Essential for all academic libraries.-- Bob Ivey, Memphis State Univ., Tenn.