Montaigne et le genre instable par Isabelle Krier (review)

This is a useful contribution to Montaigne studies, in an area of scholarship that, as the author points out, is unusually sparse. The book takes polemical aim in the Prologue at the perceived incompatibility between (French) history of philosophy and (Anglo-American) gender studies, arguing that the neutrality preferred by historians of philosophy in fact masks gendered assumptions that effectively remove any discussion of the feminine from the academy: 'Ne pas se poser de question est un bon moyen de maintenir l'ordre en place' (p. 11). While this critique may well be more pertinent in some places than others, it is nevertheless a useful reminder and corrective. Isabelle Krier argues that while these assumptions may be rife in modern disciplines, Montaigne's approach, informed by his 'scepticisme moderne' (p. 32), is more circumspect. While the Essais echo some of the period's misogyny, part of the sceptical method involves a re-examination and even a reversal of these attitudes. The argument is developed over three central chapters, each of which explores a different tactic in contesting entrenched and customary views: ironic reversal (particularly with reference to Montaigne's educational programme for women); displacement and rehabilitation (with reference to marriage and household economy); and arguments ad absurdum (with reference to demonological debates on the nature of witchcraft). Throughout, the claim is that these tactics not only unsettle gender categories but also potentially undermine them, arguing that in the Essais '[a]ucun trait essentiel n'est rattachéau féminin ou au masculin' (p. 22). This central part of the book is supplemented by two more general chapters at the beginning, on Montaigne's scepticism and the issue of gender identity, and at the end, on the representation of desire and the construction of a feminine community of readers and collaborators in which Marie de Gournay plays a crucial role. Since it is written by a philosopher and particularly (and polemically) for philosophers, there is less focus in the book on the language of the Essais than a literary critic might like; but Krier's book remains a thoughtful survey of Montaigne's writing on gender and identity and a useful point of reference.