# Is Montaigne overrated as an essayist?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-montaigne-overrated-as-an-essayist/648918>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 31, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-montaigne-overrated-as-an-essayist/648918 "2013-01-31T14:54:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-montaigne-overrated-as-an-essayist/648918/1 "2013-01-31T14:54:02Z")

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I just started reading Montaigne, complete essays. But they are just rambling, not as rich or wise as Bacon’s essays, just filled up with constant classical and European little anecdotes of behavior that don’t seem to function well as moral fables.

Is it just me or must I read further? I have the Charles Cotton translation.

Is Montaigne overrated or what? Or is this just the best you can expect from the essay form?

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**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-montaigne-overrated-as-an-essayist/648918/2 "2013-01-31T15:41:16Z")

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I am a huge fan. I would recommend you start by reading Sarah Bakewell’s recent overview of his life, times and writing - I started a thread about it here: [Wonderful, wise book - How to Live: Or a Life of Montaigne... - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=593556)

He is not trying to answer the Big Questions; he is trying to figure out how to live in this world, and he explores that in a very human, idiosyncratic way.