Montaigne as Substack prototype

Montaigne’s self‑financed printing of his essays shows that what we call 'self‑publishing' is not a new marginal tactic but a historical mode of cultural authority. The essay suggests modern Substackers are inheritors of a legitimate literary tradition that privileges personal voice over institutional imprimatur. — Recasting self‑publishing as a venerable cultural practice bolsters the legitimacy of platform‑based writers and reframes debates about gatekeeping, expertise, and who shapes public opinion.