I bought a new edition of Montaigne's complete works. It is 1300 pages and I think it is in 8pt. type. That's a lot of words by quill. I might go for an abridged ed. it includes his letters. I wonder if he is the best documented person ever?
the only other competitors i can think of (in my reading experience) are samuel johnson (boswell's Life gets very granular and we basically have dinner w johnson every night for decades), or maybe casanova, whose memoirs are also voluminous and are one of the most enjoyable literary journeys ever, and then there is the more modern karl ove knausgard, who really seems to have obsessively documented his entire existence, but who i found deeply dull (i mean, i'd already read casanova;))...
a few summers ago i bought the full 12-volume set that was beautifully done by Johns Hopkins (and when you lay them all together the spines show a lovely naked lady whose identity escapes me)...
O Karl Ove--of course that's more words. I read the first few and then stopped and put the ones I read in a Little Free Library. He got tiresome and thb I don't remember a thing except I thought he was petty.
Do they get extra points if not done with a word processor? I think so. I searched around and couldn't find any documentation of this...we have world's longest novels on Wikipedia...now I'm off to the hunt.
Montaigne lived during a time of tribal fracturing and hatred similar to our own (his time was much more violent but much less stupid) and was able to keep his head (literally and figuratively) through his wide and varied reading, his even-keeled soul and naturally kind temperament, his congenital allergy to any and all certitude, and most importantly, by NOT TAKING HIMSELF SERIOUSLY:
"Souls are most beautiful when they show most variety and flexibility....If I ever want to laugh at a fool I do not have to look far: I can laugh at myself." etc etc...
I've always thought that if I ever end up in prison, as long as they let me keep a copy of his Essays, I'd be ok (minus the violence, of course)...;)
There was so much I could say and I knew the few who might know him would know. But his work during those bitter times was extraordinary. I don't know if our current Substack writers realize the line from which they draw their arrows. And the readers & commenters on these pages are part of that line--something we didn't have when communication was one way with networks. There is hardly a line from M. that can't be brought to bear--but you chose one of the best.
When there was a basic humanities expectation of all Montaigne was there, I bet not now but even if the tides have washed over him he is the original man of the essay.
He had the whole Classics Collection of the small red-edged hardbacks from the 50's (Montaigne, the Iliad, Odyssey, Bret Harte, and on and on) - there were so many of them it was hard to know where to start.
Unfortunately he passed away in 2000, and then the War Decade ate all the time; followed by the Depression Decade.
I read a whole bunch of French lit while I was in library school. It was a bit more interesting than memorizing cataloging rules. I did read his Essays in translation. He really had an insight into human motives and impulses. "Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know."
Montaigne's humility and willingness to admit self-contradiction, at times, distinguishes the essay from its too-much-seen sibling, the screed.
It's their invitation to be willing to be bewildered that draws me to good essayists. Substack authors like Harmony Holiday and Walter Kirn are two such writers.
I never would have thought of connecting Montaigne with Substack, but you are so right in saying they have a lot in common. My father used to read Montaigne's essays often and quote them to us sometimes at the dinner table. I only wish he could have lived to enjoy Substack. He would have loved reading many of the entries.
I seem to have lost my copy in moves and just ordered another. Your father was on it. And I should have mentioned blogs as well. I just finished The Gambler Wife recommended by you at Teacups and Tyrants. https://teacupsandtyrants.com/
I love this! What a brilliant connection to make. Also, off topic, but on my post the other day you mentioned the Moravians in NC. I live in NC and my neighborhood abuts a Moravian church that was founded prior to the Revolutionary War. There are gravestones there that predate the founding of the US. It’s still an active community and an active cemetery. We’ve even picnicked there.
Yes, you know exactly what I mean...the threads that make up the US population are so myriad and categorizing them as unitary misses this richness. Thanks on the post...I have been thinking a lot that all these Substack essays needs to be saved. AS we know a platform can go down. I hope you saved your blog posts.I hope you have your Library safe somewhere.
I should print everything! I’ve got a binder with multiple copies of all the poems I’ve written as an adult.
Also, off on another tangent, we’re watching Station 11 on HBO. It’s based on a book, but the narrative thread itself comes from a graphic novel at the heart of the story. It’s wonderful, I think.
You absolutely should print it all. I moderated a wonderful yahoo group (abt the future of education for librarians) and all those interesting arguments are gone.
I bought a new edition of Montaigne's complete works. It is 1300 pages and I think it is in 8pt. type. That's a lot of words by quill. I might go for an abridged ed. it includes his letters. I wonder if he is the best documented person ever?
the only other competitors i can think of (in my reading experience) are samuel johnson (boswell's Life gets very granular and we basically have dinner w johnson every night for decades), or maybe casanova, whose memoirs are also voluminous and are one of the most enjoyable literary journeys ever, and then there is the more modern karl ove knausgard, who really seems to have obsessively documented his entire existence, but who i found deeply dull (i mean, i'd already read casanova;))...
kathleen, you always trigger my bibliomania!!
Histoire de ma vie--3500 pages..1.2 million words!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histoire_de_ma_vie#Story_of_the_manuscript
a few summers ago i bought the full 12-volume set that was beautifully done by Johns Hopkins (and when you lay them all together the spines show a lovely naked lady whose identity escapes me)...
https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/172011/history-my-life
was really like the best movie i ever read!
Kathleen McCookjust now
O Karl Ove--of course that's more words. I read the first few and then stopped and put the ones I read in a Little Free Library. He got tiresome and thb I don't remember a thing except I thought he was petty.
Do they get extra points if not done with a word processor? I think so. I searched around and couldn't find any documentation of this...we have world's longest novels on Wikipedia...now I'm off to the hunt.
Montaigne lived during a time of tribal fracturing and hatred similar to our own (his time was much more violent but much less stupid) and was able to keep his head (literally and figuratively) through his wide and varied reading, his even-keeled soul and naturally kind temperament, his congenital allergy to any and all certitude, and most importantly, by NOT TAKING HIMSELF SERIOUSLY:
"Souls are most beautiful when they show most variety and flexibility....If I ever want to laugh at a fool I do not have to look far: I can laugh at myself." etc etc...
I've always thought that if I ever end up in prison, as long as they let me keep a copy of his Essays, I'd be ok (minus the violence, of course)...;)
Thanks for this, Kathleen!
There was so much I could say and I knew the few who might know him would know. But his work during those bitter times was extraordinary. I don't know if our current Substack writers realize the line from which they draw their arrows. And the readers & commenters on these pages are part of that line--something we didn't have when communication was one way with networks. There is hardly a line from M. that can't be brought to bear--but you chose one of the best.
I freely admit that I have my grandfather's Classic Collections that I haven't read.
J'espére le lire dans la original langue un jour.
elm
petit à petit
When there was a basic humanities expectation of all Montaigne was there, I bet not now but even if the tides have washed over him he is the original man of the essay.
He had the whole Classics Collection of the small red-edged hardbacks from the 50's (Montaigne, the Iliad, Odyssey, Bret Harte, and on and on) - there were so many of them it was hard to know where to start.
Unfortunately he passed away in 2000, and then the War Decade ate all the time; followed by the Depression Decade.
elm
un de ces jours
I read a whole bunch of French lit while I was in library school. It was a bit more interesting than memorizing cataloging rules. I did read his Essays in translation. He really had an insight into human motives and impulses. "Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know."
Thank you -- you are a treasure !!
It's my class that takes me to all these place (library history) and I am so glad a few people like this esoteric path...thank you.
Montaigne's humility and willingness to admit self-contradiction, at times, distinguishes the essay from its too-much-seen sibling, the screed.
It's their invitation to be willing to be bewildered that draws me to good essayists. Substack authors like Harmony Holiday and Walter Kirn are two such writers.
Thank you for adding to the list of substack writers in Montaigne tradition.
Well, off the ABEBOOKS...thank you!
I never would have thought of connecting Montaigne with Substack, but you are so right in saying they have a lot in common. My father used to read Montaigne's essays often and quote them to us sometimes at the dinner table. I only wish he could have lived to enjoy Substack. He would have loved reading many of the entries.
I seem to have lost my copy in moves and just ordered another. Your father was on it. And I should have mentioned blogs as well. I just finished The Gambler Wife recommended by you at Teacups and Tyrants. https://teacupsandtyrants.com/
k savons-nous?
O no, but you.
I love this! What a brilliant connection to make. Also, off topic, but on my post the other day you mentioned the Moravians in NC. I live in NC and my neighborhood abuts a Moravian church that was founded prior to the Revolutionary War. There are gravestones there that predate the founding of the US. It’s still an active community and an active cemetery. We’ve even picnicked there.
Yes, you know exactly what I mean...the threads that make up the US population are so myriad and categorizing them as unitary misses this richness. Thanks on the post...I have been thinking a lot that all these Substack essays needs to be saved. AS we know a platform can go down. I hope you saved your blog posts.I hope you have your Library safe somewhere.
Good god, I have written so very many comments over 39 years and I expect most of them are gone to bitrot.
(Except for the one my usual stalkers saved.)
elm
so most of them anyway
I should print everything! I’ve got a binder with multiple copies of all the poems I’ve written as an adult.
Also, off on another tangent, we’re watching Station 11 on HBO. It’s based on a book, but the narrative thread itself comes from a graphic novel at the heart of the story. It’s wonderful, I think.
You absolutely should print it all. I moderated a wonderful yahoo group (abt the future of education for librarians) and all those interesting arguments are gone.
That is truly a shame.