Étienne de La Boétie

Marc-André Wiesmann (Skidmore College)
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“Parce que c’était lui; parce que c’était moi” [Because it was him: because it was me (trans. Screech 212)]. Owing his continued renown (despite his own important philosophical writings to be examined below) to the sentiment expressed by his dearest friend Michel de Montaigne in his essay “De l’Amitié” [On Friendship – I, 28], Étienne de La Boétie (1530–1563) and the friendship they shared represents the paragon of intimate companionship and intellectual like-mindedness for the pioneering Renaissance essayist. In his ballad “Les copains d’abord” [Onboard buddies first], 2oth-century troubadour Georges Brassens alludes to the …

2892 words

Citation: Wiesmann, Marc-André. "Étienne de La Boétie". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 May 2018 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14102, accessed 29 March 2024.]

14102 Étienne de La Boétie 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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