The Word ‘Commonplaces’ in Montaigne

Abstract

How was Montaigne actually working? When reading the Essais one gets the feeling that such a book cannot be extemporised. It is then natural to presume that he must have been writing according to some kind of a method. This method could be, since we speak of the sixteenth century, one very widely used at that time, namely the use of a ‘commonplace-book’. Critics are divided on the issue, and I will first summarise the pros and cons. Secondly, I will argue that the true method is to be found somewhere in between.