Montaigne Essay

"What goes on inside is just too fast and huge and interconnected for words to do at most, barely sketch the outlines of what's happeneing at any given instant," David foster Wallace. This quote can accurately describe Montainge's attempt to tell us what was happening in his life. Montainge's topics support Wallace's Claims. The elements that support Wallaces quote are, his wide range of topics and his intellectual approach he takes to try and describe his life.

Montainge covers a wide range of subjects in his essays. It's almost an assortment of random topics, with a common thread of human life connecting them. Wallaces quote also has a sense of chaos in it, with diction like, " too fast and huge and interconnected to do at most barely sketch the outlines of whats happening. " The way that Wallace and Montaigne both convey a sense of randomness provides a strong relationship between the two pieces.

Some may say that Wallace's quote does not elicit a random theme to it. But hos diction, specifically the words with chaotic connotations, like fast, huge, interconnected and any given instant disprove this thought. Some may say that Wllace was talking about an specific yet inpalpable feeling, or sense, so he cant relate to montaignes wide variety of topics. That's untrue also. Wallace states that he can "barely sketch the the outlines," implying that he doesn't have aclear grasp on a specific state of being that would define humankindess.

Another way that the two are related is their intellectual approach to their topic. David Foster Wallace gave a commencement speech to a college called " This is Water." Last year when we learned about Henry David Thoreau, I immediately made a connection. I felt that Thoreaus transcendentalism had resurfaced in Wallace's work. So Wallace must have thoroughly read Thoureau. Being the intellectual that he was, that's a safe bet. Montaoigne goes about his work in an intelligent way through his use of extensive and aancieant latin quotes. This higher sense of thought is what connects Wallace and Montaigne in such a way.

In conclusion Montaigne and Wallace were both very smart writers looking for insight into the human condition. The way that they did it was through a connotation of randomness and a collective genius into their intelligent approach they took.