Maybe that's why Rousseau covers so much ground: he's trying to figure out how the autobiography genre fits into a time in history when everything is being questioned. It also doesn't hurt that Rousseau is writing during the Enlightenment, a time particularly famous for its razor-sharp philosophers. But Rousseau sets himself apart from the pack by giving us a taste of everything: scandal, repentance, religion, and nostalgia.
Augustine's Confessions (397 CE) set the standard way before Rousseau's granddaddy's granddaddy was around. That's a lot of material to get through, but it means that we get a complete picture (or "portrait," as he'd like to say) of one of the most prominent eighteenth-century thinkers (1.1.1).Īlthough Rousseau's our go-to guy for autobiographical writing, he's got some big shoes to fill. The Confessions was completed in 1770, but he's pretty set on chronicling every one of his fifty-three years on Planet Earth. Plus, Rousseau's not just ruminating on one tiny part of his life. Picking up a copy of The Confessions back then was kind of like slyly sneaking a peek at a tabloid in the grocery store line. Sure, it's easy to flick on the television today and see something similar, but Rousseau is basically belting "Take me or leave me!" to the buttoned-up eighteenth century.
Shmoopers, that's a pretty revolutionary idea. His goal is to give his reader a glimpse at the real Rousseau, flaws and all. Nope, Rousseau shares every steamy detail of his sex life and every sinful thought. Long before every famous person from Dolly Parton to Malcolm X released page-turners about their personal lives, Rousseau set the standard for autobiographical writing.Īnd it's not like our guy dwells on the boring stuff, like what he ate for lunch. We'll just say it: The Confessionsby Jean-Jacques Rousseau is the O.G. Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau Introduction
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