Montaigne, The Man Who Named the Essay
Lawrence Kritzman (Dartmouth College), Julien Stout (Princeton University)
November 18, 2025 · 5:00 pm—7:00 pm · Princeton Public Library
Co-Sponsored by: Committee on Renaissance and Early Modern Studies
Professors Kritzman and Stout will discuss the 16th – century French intellectual who gave the essay its name. Montaigne’s digressive ruminations covered a wide range of topis, from friendship to cannibals, from sleep to thumbs, from cruelty to drunkenness, changing genres from passage to passage: anecdotes, quotes from the ancients, memories, poetic musings, aphorisms, dialogues. Attendees will learn about Montaigne’s life and his motivations for championing this loose form of writing centered on the self.
Moderated by Bill Hamlett (French and Italian)
Full program available at ESSAY WEEK | French & Italian
