Primary Source: Michel De Montaigne, and Donald Murdoch Frame. The Complete Works of Montaigne: Essays, Travel Journal, Letters. Stanford, Calif., Stanford University Press, 1989.
Secondary Sources:
Hartle, Ann. Michel de Montaigne : Accidental Philosopher, Cambridge University Press, 2003. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rochester/detail.action?docID=218256.
Provides a general overview of the philosophical background to Montaigne’s work and contextualizes him within the framework of philosophy. In addition to this, Hartle explores the categorization of his philosophical thought in a historical sense, comparing it to that of modern, post-modern, and ancient philosophers to offer different perspectives on the Essais.
Hartle, Ann. “The Philosophical Act (I): Judgment.” Montaigne and the Origins of Modern Philosophy, Northwestern University Press, 2013, pp. 51–76. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv3znz85.8. Accessed 12 Oct. 2022.
This book emphasizes Montaigne’s redefining of what it means to be a philosopher and to do philosophy in a modern sense. An analysis of the ideas that helped in creating such an atmosphere in his work in this chapter breaks down the ideas in question to building blocks from which his impact and establishment as a philosopher emerged. In addition to providing analysis of how Montaigne broke traditional barriers of what it meant to be a philosopher, Hartle provides an exposition of countless important topics from the Essais.
“Michel De Montaigne.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michel-de-Montaigne.
This article offers a comprehensive biography in a condensed format. From childhood to death, it offers insight into each part of his life and the ways in which it has impacted his work with clarity and brevity. This background information acts as a backdrop to his continually updated Essais, the primary focus of his work.