Montaigne Study Questions

• How is the form of Montaigne's essays different from that of other works we have read?  Look up the word "essay" in a good dictionary--does it have meanings other than the one you're familiar with?  How are Montaigne's essays structured?
• How is Montaigne's sense of his individual self different from that of St. Augustine, Dante, Chaucer, and Erasmus?  Compare the tone of his writing to that of other writers we have encountered.
• What does the essay "Of Cannibals" suggest about how individuals relate to (and think about) other humans?  What are the different definitions of "barbarism" offered in this essay?
• Is Montaigne optimistic or pessimistic about human nature?
• Montaigne's essays are filled with quotations.  Why does he use so many quotations?  How does he use quotations?
• What do you think Montaigne's feelings about religion are?  How do Montaigne's feelings about the relationship between man and God/gods compare to the ideas we encountered in Hebrew, Greek, Roman, Christian, and medieval literature?