Montaigne’s Essay: of the Power of the Imagination

Montaigne presents vagueness while distinguishing imagination from reality in this essay. By practical and fantastical examples, Montaigne proves the power of imagination to interfere with reality. He narrates a tale of somebody who implements himself by the power of imagination in the belief of the executioner’s blow. He argues extreme visionary thinking likely to causes unanticipated events. In another example, Montaigne explains how a man catches impotence from his imagination out of fear of performing poorly. In confusing the difference between reality and imagination by mixing plain views with actual results, Montaigne urges the reader to review the relationship of fiction with imagination, and non-fiction with reality. The presentation of the interchangeability of these ideas plants a seed of doubt in the readers’ minds about the ability to control their actions. Possibly the presentation of these stories reflects Montaigne’s own insecurities because he claims that he borrows stories yet “the inferences are my own”. Each account of Montaigne’s is clearly meant at explaining the power of imagination as apparent from the title of this essay.