What is the author's style in Complete Works: Essays, Travel Journal, Letters by Michel de Montaigne?

The book has an unusual structure. There is a vast set of short essays. There are also a number of entries into a travel log and there is a large set of letters. The essays are subdivided into three Books. During these, the author describes a number of things. He shares a great deal about his views on life. He makes it very enjoyable. He also shows off his education throughout these essays. By the end of it, readers will have grown to find it comfortingly normal. Then, something changes.

The travel writings consist of another book. The style of the writing is not entirely different yet it is. Travel writing has its own flow. There is a set of topics for readers throughout this book. One is a sequence of descriptions of activities and events, rather like a log. Another, is of course, the author's health and his efforts to find relief and a cure for the kidney stones. He does make some headway on this, but it isn't all that easy.

After that, there are letters. These are diverse in their subject matter as well. The majority of these have one recipient, but there are several people who have received letters from Montaigne. Those preserved are viewed as precious, the majority having been long lost. These include small amounts of material like what is found in the other parts, but naturally it has the normal arrangement for a letter. As such, it is always directed towards one specific individual. This influences what the author has written to his friend about.