Summary
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Essays of Michel de Montaigne. Born near Bordeaux in 1533, Montaigne retired from a life of public service aged 38 and began to write. He called these short works 'essais', or 'attempts'; they deal with an eclectic range of subjects, from the dauntingly weighty to the apparently trivial. Although he never considered himself a philosopher, he is often now seen as one of the most outstanding Sceptical thinkers of early modern Europe. His approachable style, intelligence and subtle thought have made him one of the most widely admired writers of the Renaissance.
With:
David Wootton Anniversary Professor of History at York University
Terence Cave Emeritus Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford
Felicity Green Chancellor's Fellow in History at the University of Edinburgh.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Thank you for downloading this episode of In Our Time for more details about In Our Time |
| 0:04.1 | and for our terms of use, please go to bbc.co.uk slash radio for. |
| 0:09.0 | I hope you enjoy the program. |
| 0:10.9 | Hello, Michelle de Montaigne's essay is first published in 1580, |
| 0:14.8 | begin rather unconventionally. |
| 0:16.4 | In a brief note to his readers, Montaigne advises them not to bother continuing any further. |
| 0:20.8 | He explains, |
| 0:22.0 | reader, I myself am on the matter of my book. |
| 0:24.4 | There's no reason you should employ your leisure about so frivolous and vain as subject. |
| 0:29.0 | Montaigne's essays are among the most unusual, fascinating and influential works of the Renaissance. |
| 0:34.4 | They deal with an apparently limitless variety of subject from cannibalism to pedantry, |
| 0:38.6 | solitude to the human emotions. |
| 0:40.6 | There's even an essay about thumbs. |
| 0:42.5 | Although he never saw himself as a philosopher, |
| 0:44.8 | Montaigne is come to be seen as one of the most important thinkers of the 16th century. |
| 0:49.5 | His skeptical approach to the world and how well we can understand it is perhaps best summed up |
| 0:54.1 | in one famous quotation from the essays, |
| 0:56.4 | what do I know? |
| 0:58.4 | With me to discuss Montaigne and his essays are David Wooten, |
| 1:01.5 | professor of history at York University, |
| 1:04.0 | Terence Cave, emeritus professor of French literature at the University of Oxford, |
| 1:08.6 | and for this degree, |
... |
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