Montaigne/Austen Essay

                It is incredible to see how authors from two completely different time periods can have so much in common. David Foster Wallace said, “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.” The writings of Michel de Montaigne both support and contradict this quote. In his book of essays, Montaigne follows what his mind is thinking about jumping from topic to topic with no given lay out, and is able to write a lot of it down but not all of it. Jane Austen, the author of “Pride and Prejudice,” is also known for her unique style. Although both authors have similarities, her writing is easier to follow because of the clear plot.

                Montaigne and Austen have more differences than similarities. Montaigne’s essays jumped from topic to topic and it is clear that his style is stream-of-consciousness. His goal was to touch on as many subjects from liars to thumbs. His essays were extremely opinionated and he was not afraid to say what he thought. Like I said above, I believe Montaigne’s writing style proves Wallace’s quote wrong. However, his essays begin in one place and end up on a completely different side and end abruptly, shows that he wasn’t able to capture everything thought that ran through his head. In Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” the novel is written much more clearly with a well written chronological plot, climax and conclusion. Austen’s novel is also filled with dialogue whereas in Montaigne’s essays it is seen only a few times.

                Although Montaigne and Austen’s styles seem to have more differences they do have a few similarities. I think both authors were trying to understand humans and then try and shape them into their own ways. Montaigne’s essays are very opinionated almost as if he is trying to convince the reader to follow his views. Austen, in her novel, twists the way women choose men for marriage with Jane’s character. Both of these authors show self-expression in their works by using their different styles.

                Michel de Montaigne and Jane Austen are very different writers. Montaigne used stream-of-consciousness technique to write his nonfiction essays. Austen wrote a well laid-out novel with a plot and dialogue. Both were very different writers but were able to effectively get their points across to the reader.