I TRY (INTERVIEW # 42)

Robert's been gone for a long time but, like a bad penny we know that he'll turn up.

Richard has done his usual thing by deleting the link to Robert's (now redundant) blog. It's kind of like getting cashiered from a gentlemen's club or branded in the US Cavalry.

Will he be missed?

It is a bit lonely when the bloggers are down to two and without Robert's crazed witterings on the arcane practices of the Catholic Church for Richard and me to jeer at we kind of run out of ideas to blog on.

Did Robert contribute to the world of essaying? Well, he was a trier (a little grammatical joke there for you).

Will Richard fill the gap and make more of an effort at essaying? It's yet to be proven although, given that he doesn't know how to turn on his new computer yet I wouldn't hold my breath waiting.

To answer these questions and more I decided to contact one of the world's greatest essayists - in fact, the creator of the concept of essaying - Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)  a French philosopher who coined the word essai (meaning "to attempt") to describe his personal, introspective writings and who is said to be the father of the modern essay.

"Bonjour"

Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne[a] (28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592),[4] commonly known as just Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant writers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the essay as a literary genre. His work is noted for its merging of casual anecdotes[5] and autobiography with intellectual insight. Montaigne had a direct influence on numerous writers of Western literature; his Essais contain some of the most influential essays ever written.

          - Wikipedia

The Curmudgeon: Welcome Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne to The Curmudgeon's interview series. It's nice to have you here.

Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne: Thank you Monsieur Le Curmudgeon. I try to be of assistance in times of literary crisis which brings a decline in reading comprehension and literacy .

The Curmudgeon: Ha ha Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne, I see what you did there - um, can I call you Michel de Montaigne?

Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne: Sure, fill your booties Monsieur Le Curmudgeon but maybe to save us both doing a lot of typing you call me Michel and I'll call you TC?

TC: OK, that's good let's crack on. Michel I note in your bio that during your lifetime you were admired as a statesman more than as an author. It's said that there was a tendency in your essays to digress into anecdotes and personal ruminations which was seen as detrimental to proper style, rather than as an innovation; moreover, your declaration that "I am myself the matter of my book" was viewed by your contemporaries as self-indulgent.

Michel: Google TC?

TC: Um, yes - rumbled. That's what Google told me. "I quote others only in order the better to express myself".

Michel: Ha ha - that's my quote you stole there TC. Be careful of AI and Google-type searching. It can be as bad as forgetting to switch on your computer like some old guy I heard about - ha ha ha ha ha ...

TC: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ...

Michel: ... yes they said that but eventually came around to recognising me as embodying the spirit of critical thought and open inquiry. I was best known for my sceptical remark, "What do I know?" ("Que sçay-je?" in Middle French; "Que sais-je?" in modern French).

TC: Mmm I see - but as you know I was in 3P. I doubt that the 3Gers would understand that.

Michel: The world is but a school of enquiry TC. To know much is often the cause of doubting more.

TC: What? I meant ...

Michel: ... On the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom.

TC: Hey! That's the sort of aphorism that Richard would say ... except that he'd put it more crudely and think that an aphorism was some sort of insect. Did you know that he once confused a daddy long legs with a mosquito?

Michel: There is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees TC. Maybe this Richard fellow's eyes are bigger than his stomach, and that he has more curiosity than understanding. We grasp at everything, but catch nothing except wind.

TC: Er , that sounds like him alright, especially that bit about the wind.

Michel: He sounds (see what I did there?) like an interesting character TC.

TC: Yes, 'interesting' like that Chinese saying "May you live in interesting times".

Michel: Ha ha - hey it's been interesting talking to you TC. We got a bit stuck on sayings there and didn't discuss my essays. Can I interest you in my theories of humanism as I expressed in my Essais (published in 1580), a large collection of short, subjective essays on various topics? These essays were inspired by my studies in the classics, especially the works of Plutarch and Lucretius.

TC: Um ... gosh! Look at the time. I have to nip out to the shops. Look Michel. I'm sure Richard would like to hear about those especially as he has nothing to do now that he can't start up his computer. Here's his address ...