The Cluttered Mind
The
human mind is exceptionally cluttered with one’s own thoughts, so much so that
it is exceedingly difficult to construct and organize these into coherent
ideas. We only manage to see a little glimpse into each other’s minds, yet it
is with this glimpse that we realize there is so much more underneath. One, who
with philosophical insights, has endeavored to present us with various topics
through his own judgments is Michel Montaigne. He accomplished this feat in his
collection Essays of Michel Montaigne, in
which we are led into discussions of
human nature, fear, love, war, and so much more through his techniques of
storytelling, personal contemplation, and particular anecdotes. It is through
this that we are allowed to dwell inside his brain for the duration of his
writings and thus experience just how complex it can be.
Montaigne
covers various diverse topics in his essays, topics that to some would even
seem absurd such as Of Thumbs and Of Posting. However this in itself, the
selection of seemingly random subjects, illustrates the incongruity of the
human mind where everything makes perfect sense despite the presence of jumbled
chaos. Montaigne includes his own ruminations and judgments in each of his
essays and at times is found to contradict universally accepted notions of his
time period. And due to the fact that he is often trying to explain human
nature through his own perspectives, his writing can at times be described as
chaotic and off-topic. Montaigne is easily strayed off-topic when he makes use
of his storytelling and includes various allusions to history in his works,
which frequently don’t seem to relate to his theme but which in the end are
revealed to have been interconnected all along. His digressions into anecdotes
are characteristic of his pieces of literature and are the windows that allow
us to peek into his inner thoughts.
Styles of writing are determined by the different
techniques used in a work of literature. It is evident that not all authors
write the same and one particular author whom differs from Montaigne is Jane
Austen. In her novel Pride and Prejudice
the plot of the story is introduced to us in an elegant yet witty manner.
Austen utilizes a third person omniscient point of view therefore she spares us
from experiencing her own complex flow of thoughts. Her methods of
characterization allow for both direct and indirect descriptions which make
readers confident in their assessments of the characters. She also incorporates
irony, satire, and parody to reflect her criticism of social norms and
prejudices. Although Austen does not include her own personal judgments we are
nevertheless still able to glimpse into her own mind through the thoughts,
descriptions, and actions of her characters, specifically Elizabeth.
The human mind is amazingly intricate and we will never
be able to fathom the immensity of its power. We will also never be able to
truly work out every thought that crosses through our brain, however we can
create a vague outline of our innermost workings. This vague outline takes form
in the Essays of Michel Montaigne and
grants us the opportunity to experience what it feels like to try to understand
stream of consciousness. And although the style of both Montaigne and Austen
are completely differently they are similar in the manner in which they both allow
for an understanding of the person behind the ink.
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