Essaying Montaigne: A Study of the Renaissance Institution of Writing and Reading

O'Neill (sociology, York U., Toronto, Ontario), in this revision of a work first published in 1982, examines the Essays of Montaigne and their critical reception. In particular, the ethical system that Montaigne composed based on his notion of friendship is analyzed with attention to how this system was applied to other relationships. The study is also attentive to the act of writing and Montaigne's understanding of its relation to the human condition. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)