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When Michel de Montaigne retreated to his tower library in Bordeaux in 1571 , he embarked on an unprecedented literary experiment : the interrogation of the self through the exploratory essay . Translating Montaigne into English has long challenged stylists because his prose avoids dogmatic certainty , preferring to capture the wandering motions of human consciousness . To replicate this cognitive fluidity , John Florio's celebrated 1603 English translation mobilized cleft structures , particularly the wh - cleft . Rather than presenting static conclusions , the syntax repeatedly divides thoughts into background presuppositions and focalized revelations . What Montaigne sought was not an abstract ethical doctrine , but an honest mirror of intellectual fallibility . The wh - cleft functions as an ideal vehicle for philosophical inquiry because it orchestrates the reader's attention with dramatic precision . When a sentence begins with a free relative clause - such as " What astonishes our judgment is how readily custom masquerades as nature " - the grammatical subject acts as an intellectual question . The predicate nominative then delivers the answer after a moment of deliberate syntactic suspension . In Florio's translation , this syntactic division mirrors Montaigne's own skeptical habit of mind : he first draws attention to a common human puzzle before revealing the hidden prejudice beneath it . The cleft structure transforms a declarative statement into a collaborative act of discovery . Furthermore , the wh - cleft allows the essayist to recalibrate discourse rhythm within expansive paragraphs . Montaigne frequently weaves lengthy reflections crowded with classical anecdotes , Latin quotations , and autobiographical confessions . In the middle of such labyrinthine discursiveness , a well - placed wh - cleft acts as a focal lens , gathering scattered observations into an incisive thematic summary . By foregrounding the focus in clause - final position , the prose achieves an epigrammatic clarity that lingers in the reader's memory long after the page is turned . For writers aspiring to C2 stylistic mastery , Montaigne's syntactic strategy illustrates that sentence structure directly embodies philosophy . Dogmatic writers rely on direct declarative pronouncements because they presume absolute authority . Skeptical , investigative writers deploy cleft constructions because they wish to dramatize the distinction between appearance and reality . Through conscious syntactic fracturing , the essayist guides the reader through the living architecture of thought itself . Investigating how wh - clefts govern thematic focus invites you to examine the cognitive trajectory of your own prose . When introducing complex intellectual debates , do you rely on predictable declarative sentences , or do you use cleft constructions to highlight pivotal distinctions ? How can delaying the focal element within a clause intensify your reader's curiosity ? In what contexts might an overabundance of clefting make your academic arguments seem overly theatrical ?
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