A new interpretation of the Essais, situating Montaigne's project of self-study in the context of a broader commitment to liberty.

Introduction; 1. Freedom and the essai; 2. The languages of the self: Montaigne's classical inheritance; 3. Self-possession, public engagement and slavery; 4. Oysiveté and nonchalance: liberty as carelessness; 5. The art of self-management; Conclusion.

Felicity Green is Junior Research Fellow in history at Trinity College, Cambridge. She has also held fellowships at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study and at the Huntington Library.