Sunday, August 17, 2014

Montaigne/Austen Essay

     "What goes on inside is just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of at most one tiny little part of it at any given instant." This excerpt from David Foster Wallace's story "Good Old Neon," contradicts Montaigne's essay in multiple aspects of their writings.
     Montaigne has a very hidden talent in which he can connect his own intricate sayings yet make it very relatable to each individual reader. With his style of writing, Montaigne had to ability to present a window in which one could see his inner thoughts. In one of his chapters of his book, Montaigne elaborates on how his memory is faulty and that no one could have a memory worse than his own. Most authors try their hardest to convey every inner thought and every action that is happening yet Montaigne is the only one whom truly can depict his thoughts clearly through his words. The way Montaigne writes "where memory is concerned, I am most singular and rare..." gives you just a taste of how intelligent his mind worked and how great his essays spoke his inner thoughts.
     Although Montaigne has his own unique ways of writing, so does Jane Austen as the author of Pride and Prejudice. Austen is able to convey her feelings and inner workings just as well as Montaigne and to some readers may even better than Montaigne himself. Austen's sense of diction and syntax makes the reader truly feel as though you are saying the words themselves as one is reading the story. Only a true accomplished writer is capable of making their works come to life with full meaning as Austen and Montaigne.
     Both Austen and Montaigne contradict David Foster Wallace's statement for many reasons. Both authors portray literature pieces that create images to behold the readers. However, only certain authors have the ability to share that meaning on paper as Austen and Montaigne are capable of.

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