Michel de Montaigne’s biography: literary hints and clues

When authors write, they cannot avoid revealing their views and personal history, their traumas and pressing concerns. Consciously or unconsciously, they are giving hints and clues about their own life. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) and his works prove this theory correct. In his essays, Montaigne addressed a wide array of subjects, but could not avoid imprinting his personality and philosophical views in every discussion, even when recounting anecdotes from ancient Greece and Rome. Take for instance Montaigne’s essay “Whether the governor himself should go out to parley.” The essay’s title is raising a question of political or military theory, but Montaigne makes the discussion revolve around his personal experience in public office. The essay conveys Montaigne’s conclusion from all his years in public office: When bad turns to worse, display the utmost care, so that you don’t paint yourself into a corner. In order to prove his point, Montaigne uses anecdotes from ancient history. He recalls that, during the Second Punic War (218-201 BC), Hannibal tricked many ancient Roman generals into fighting from inferior tactical positions, for instance, next to a river or a cliff, or facing the sunshine. In contrast, general Fabius Maximus (280-203 BC) avoided combat with Hannibal when tactical circumstances were not in favour of the Roman troops. He had no problem to keep his legions manoeuvring around Hannibal, week after week, trying to gain higher ground or some other tactical advantage. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-biography-literary-hints-and-clues/