'On Three Kinds of Social Intercourse' Analytical Essay by Master Researcher

In his essay, "On Three Kinds of Social Intercourse", Michel de Montaigne uses the writing technique of reflective or rhetorical speech, which facilitates the understanding of his writing. This paper will discuss Montaigne's reflective, rhetorical style and will comment on his use of various personal issues and experiences relating to his point which make his ideas easier to understand, much like other Humanist writers did. This paper will argue, that Montaigne's essay is not only important for what it tells us about these three kinds of social association, but also for the way in which he tells it to his readers. As a Humanist, Montaigne was profoundly aware of the important relationship between subject matter and manner of explaining it.