Irony and the Ethics of Self-Portraiture in Montaigne's De la praesumption
This article examines tensions between public and private spheres in the ethical discourse of Michel de Montaigne relative to the changing civic role of legal humanists in late-sixteenth-century France. Focusing on self-portraiture in the Essais, I argue that irony as a discursive practice is key to...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sixteenth Century Journal Publishers, Inc.
1995
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| In: |
The sixteenth century journal
Year: 1995, Volume: 26, Issue: 4, Pages: 791-803 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article examines tensions between public and private spheres in the ethical discourse of Michel de Montaigne relative to the changing civic role of legal humanists in late-sixteenth-century France. Focusing on self-portraiture in the Essais, I argue that irony as a discursive practice is key to the formulation and success of Montaigne's innovative mode of ethical inquiry. In On Presumption, II.17, he presents his first full-fledged self-portrait, humorously emphasizing the supposed faults that render him unfit for public office but in reality are virtues. Within the context of Ciceronian civic humanism, his ironic, apolitical stance, while giving the outward appearance of a withdrawal from public life, is actually a strategy that allows him to engage more effectively in the current political dialogue. And in addressing the questions of political corruption and Machiavellian political pragmatism, he offers counsel to an unnamed prince while defending the values of his own magisterial class against a courtly model. Through irony, or eironeia, Montaigne thus effectively redescribes the goals of civic humanism, shifting the classical attempt to unite the public and private toward a new role for the humanist in politics and society. |
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| ISSN: | 2326-0726 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The sixteenth century journal
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/2543786 |