Curiosity, Contingency, and Cultural Diversity: Montaigne's Readings at the Vatican Library*
François Rigolot
Abstract One of the key episodes Michel de Montaigne's trip to Rome (1580–81) was his visit Vatican Library, which he comments upon in Journal voyage, posthumously published. Strangely enough, few scholars have paid close attention what Montaigne says about selection manuscripts and printed material consulted there on 6 March 1581. He claims that given free access Wunderkammer, scholarly research shows wish list indeed reflected taste for irony, humor, cultural diversity, ranging from Greco-Roman Egyptian papyrus a Chinese booklet. At same time, case could be made interpreting selection, not as Montaigne's, but library custodian's, with Aquinas's sermons, anti-Lutheran material, documents used at Council Trent. This paper tries sort out extent books items saw Library can considered meeting ground between interests himself skeptic agenda Counter-Reformation.
Renaissance Quarterly