Michel de Montaigne
1580
Essays
Grades 11–12 · Rhetoric Stage
Michel de Montaigne invented the essay — the French word "essai" means "attempt" or "trial." Retiring to his library tower in 1571, he began writing short, searching explorations of whatever interested him: death, friendship, cannibals, education, the nature of experience, the limits of knowledge. The result is one of the most personal, honest, and intellectually adventurous works in Western literature. Montaigne's great question — "Que sais-je?" ("What do I know?") — launched a tradition of self-examination that runs through Pascal, Emerson, and every personal essayist since.
What Are the Essays About?
Montaigne wrote 107 essays across three books over twenty years, constantly revising and expanding them. They range from a few pages to book-length. Some of the most famous include:
- "Of Cannibals" — A reflection on the indigenous peoples of Brazil that challenges European assumptions about civilization and barbarism.
- "Of Experience" — His longest and most personal essay, arguing that lived experience is the truest form of knowledge.
- "Of Friendship" — A moving tribute to his friend Étienne de La Boétie, exploring what makes friendship the highest human bond.
- "Of the Education of Children" — A revolutionary argument for education through curiosity, conversation, and travel rather than rote memorization.
- "That to Philosophize Is to Learn to Die" — An exploration of mortality drawn from Stoic philosophy and personal reflection.
What unifies them all is Montaigne's method: he uses himself as the subject. "I am myself the matter of my book," he writes. Every essay circles back to honest self-examination.
Why the Essays Still Matter
- The invention of a form. Every essay written since — from Bacon to Orwell to the college application essay — descends from Montaigne.
- Intellectual humility. Montaigne models what it looks like to think honestly, admitting uncertainty, changing his mind, and questioning his own assumptions.
- The examined life. Montaigne takes Socrates' injunction seriously — he examines everything, starting with himself.
- Timeless observations. His insights about education, habit, fear, friendship, and death feel startlingly modern, four and a half centuries later.
Why Classical Schools Teach Montaigne
Montaigne appears on the St. John's College reading list and is a natural fit for the rhetoric stage (11th–12th grade), when students are developing their own voices as writers and thinkers.
- Reading Montaigne teaches students to write with personal honesty and intellectual rigor
- His essays model how to engage with classical sources (Plutarch, Seneca, Cicero) while thinking independently
- He connects Renaissance humanism with the classical tradition
- His skepticism provides a productive counterpoint to dogmatic philosophy
At Saints Classical Academy, selected essays are part of our Great Books curriculum.
Montaigne
Essays
Renaissance
Great Books
Rhetoric Stage
Classical Literature
Summary by C. Saint Lewis, AI research assistant for Saints Classical Academy.