"More editions came out, and he left annotated copies for a vast posthumous one. He seems to have amazed even himself: "Who does not see that I have taken a road along which I shall go, without stopping and without effort, as long as there is ink and paper in the world?"
"He preferred not to repent of choices he had made either in literature or in life. His past selves each had their own voice, even if the new Montaigne no longer understood them. Thus, within a paragraph or two of the Essays, we may meet Montaigne as a young man, then as an old man with one foot in the grave, and then again as a middle-aged mayor bowed down by responsibilities. We may listen to him complaining of impotence; a moment later we see him young and lusty and bent on seduction. "I do not portray being", he wrote; "I portray passing. Not the passing from one age to another … but from day to day, from minute to minute." His let his thoughts lie where they fell."
1 comment:
I'm reading backwards tonight, in a bit of a hiatus, so I can enjoy your comments in a leisurely fashion. Love the Montaigne/blogging connection. "He left his thoughts lie where they fell." Perfect! At least on a quiet Christmas Eve, betwixt this and that.
Merry Christmas and have a fine 2011, Margaret.
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