Through a series of readings of selected passages, this book explores the role of contradiction and incoherence in Montaigne's "Essais". The author argues that such internal differences are essential to a practice of writing that both defines and challenges the ideology of unity.

Introduction - reading differently, "Montaigne etait-il divers et ondoyant?" difference in the text; distinguo - "par divere moyens on arrive a pareille fin", "de 1'inconstance de nos actions", "de l'experience"; voices - who's speaking, changing the subject, the voice of nature, masks and voices; appropriation - property, "De l'institution des infans", reading and writing, expropriation, the prodigal text, fama, the menace of interpretation, ideal readers; faces - the portrait of the author, physiognomy, self-portraiture; conclusions - appendices, shame, memory and repents, endings.

`Rendall's Montaigne has made difference and distinction in the world, in history, and in his own experience of them, serve him.' Richard L. Regosin, University of California, Irvine, Philosophy and Literature, 1992

`Rendall's Montaigne has made difference and distinction in the world, in history, and in his own experience of them, serve him.' Richard L. Regosin, University of California, Irvine, Philosophy and Literature, 1992 'much of Rendall's approach is applicable to the reading of essays in general ... The bibliography and notes are complete and well presented. The volume is beautifully printed and bound.' J.E. Parker Jr., Wake Forest University, Choice, Mar '93 'Its main merit is to have reshaped and reinscribed insights into a fruitful and admirably lucid configuration, under the aegis of 'difference'. This has been done with enough explanation of relatively rudimentary points to qualify this highly readable book for recommendation to undergraduates.' Neil Kenny, Queen Mary and Westfield College, London, French Studies, Vol. 47 'original, illuminating, even seminal study ... years of mulling over Montaigne's work have finally enabled him to come to grips with this most slippery of texts, and, in so doing, to produce that coherent reading which, ironically, is predicated upon the very contradictions that had initially led to his frustrations.' Patrick Henry, Whitman College, Sixteenth Century Journal XXIV/2 (1993) 'Rendall's provocative title implies that his short book will propose a radically new method of reading Montaigne, but its appeal for this reviewer lies rather in its insistence on the old and tried, that is, close reading of individual essays in their Renissance context. These readings are always intelligent, sensitive, and grounded in a thorough knowledge of Classical and Renaissance habits of writing and reading. I recommend this book, not because I find it reads Montaigne differently, but precisely because it reads him the way I too think he should be read.' Barbara C. Bowen, Vanderbilt University, French Review `a welcome addition to his earlier work and to the corpus of Montaigne scholarship. Distinguo: Reading Montaigne Differenty provides a significant and original contribution to Montaigne scholarship, not least for its insightful readings of some of this earlier work. Rendall has an excellent grasp of the Essais, of scholarship on them, and of the subtle differences among seemingly similar critical points of view....fine contribution. The book may mark the end of one era of Montaigne scholarship and make way for another.' Modern Philology