Montaigne and Austen Essay

David Foster Wallace has a good grasp on what happens in the depths of one’s mind, especially if it has to do with Michel de Montaigne. Montaigne’s topics are very explicit, but even three volumes of stream of consciousness may not cover all the ground of his mind it, may have taken the main points of his thought but I believe that the mind has a vast quantity of ideas that the own person doesn't realize they have. Montaigne did a lot of self-searching which was able to bring some of his thoughts together to create this “unconventional” style, which is very different from the writing style of Jane Austen.

            After doing a little research on Montaigne I found out that he was a philosopher , yet after reading a little of his biography, I found out that his, “unconventional style of writing and thinking” is the reason he is thought of more as a “writer rather than a “true” philosopher”, and I can’t agree more. When reading his essays he brings up his own thoughts or opinions of certain matters instead of giving out theories of life or trying to answer big questions about life. For example he thinks that we should have simple and general laws or no laws rather than having such a prodigious amount. His thoughts relate to other things as well, like how fools are those that are reluctant to accept hard facts just to feel that they still have the upper hand. He does have some life philosophies of his own, but probably not as much to be considered a “true” philosopher.

            Austen’s writhing seems clearer, but she is actually writing about a story and not of one’s own reflections. Austen’s style includes a very high vocabulary and universal themes that are more so accepted. When reading “Pride and Prejudice”, you get this idea of triumphant love that conquers everything, and ends in a happily ever after. So it’s easy to see her romantic views in the context of her writing. Her structure of writing usually follows the story-line. She also uses words that can very easily be seen in the time settling, which was during the 18^th century. For example, commonly used words like “gallantry” and “impertinent.”

            Montaigne’s and Austen’s style of writing seem very different, but they are both able to get there ideas somewhat across, and were able to represent the setting of their time pretty well. Yet it’s hard not to find difference they both approached very different topics, some more than others, but like Gandhi said, “Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress.”