The Lexicon · Genealogy · Early Modern
MONTAIGNE, MICHEL DE
1533–1592
Que Sais-Je? (The Practice Statement, 1500 Characters)
Montaigne invented the essay as a place to find out what one thinks by writing it. CoCA's `practice_statement` field (max 1500 characters) is montaignean in default. The applicant is not asked to assert a position; the applicant is asked to try. The essay enters the archive. Later essays may contradict earlier essays. The Layer Cake doctrine accommodates both. The trying is the value.