Abstract

This article analyzes the problematic nature of the 'speech community' in the Montaigne "Essays". If we apply the criterion of the «speaker» within the language community, the problem will be to establish who the actors of the communication exchange really are and what are the variations of the semantic regime of obedience to the magistrate, and their political and conceptual significance. The discursive regime of the "Essays" has an incentive as a performative function, inviting the reader to participate actively in the development of mutual thinking, and to exercise a critical evaluation.