In praise of the essay

Today, September 13, is the anniversary of the death in 1592 of Michel de Montaigne, statesman and writer of the French Renaissance.  Perhaps chief amongst his achievements is the development of the essay as a literary genre – he was the first to use the term, deriving it from the French verb ‘essayer‘, to try or attempt. While his style was not always well received during his lifetime, through his work the essay quickly became a popular device of academic and intellectual discourse. It was quickly picked up by other writers, the first to use the genre in English being Francis Bacon.

Essays have remained a popular educational and academic tool, though it is arguable that the original use to which they were put by Montaigne and Bacon was somewhat different from the normal modern fare. In academic life, there may be some scope for re-discovering the collection of essays as a format for scholarly books. At any rate we owe a debt to Montaigne. I would suggest that all academics, particularly those in the humanities and social sciences, should at some point read his essays; they will find that many of his ideas and thoughts still resonate today.

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Tags: essays, Francis Bacon, Michel de Montaigne, Montaigne

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