Jean Jacques Rousseau Biography
French Philosopher and Author, Émile or New System of Education
Oct 11, 2009
Jean Jacques Rousseau, a Swiss-born philosopher and author, is one of the outstanding figures of French literature and philosophy. His famous books include Discourses on the Sciences and Arts, On Equality, The New Héloïse, The Social Contract, and Émile, or New System of Education.
Profile of Jean Jacques Rousseau
Rousseau was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 28, 1712, the son of a watchmaker. When his mother died at his birth, his father left his upbringing to anyone who would take him. He ran away from Geneva when he was 16 and wandered around Europe until his late 20s.
In 1741, Rousseau settled in Paris, where he had five children by a woman name Thérèse Levasseur. He did not marry her and the children were abandoned to an orphanage. Rousseau had charms and he got to know the leading writers and other celebrities of the time including Voltaire.
He was associated with Denis Diderot, a prominent French philosopher and writer, who served as chief editor if the Encyclopedia. Through him, Rousseau received work writing for the encyclopedia that began to appear in 1751.
Rousseau's Julie, or the New Héloïse
His first great work, Julie, or the New Héloïse, a novel promoting the value of the family, was published when he was 49. It made him famous and was to have a great influence on European fiction. It also celebrates love in a new romantic way.
Rousseau's The Social Contract
Soon after Julie, or the New Héloïse, he published The Social Contract, which starts with the famous sentence: "Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains." Rousseau envisions a liberated society. This is considered his major work of political philosophy, something that inspired the French Revolution with its famous catchphrase "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité."
Rousseau's Other Writings
Rousseau produced a wide range of writings, including moralistic novels such as Émile, or a New System of Education, operettas, articles on art, music and science, books on politics and religion, and an autobiography called Confessions, which although highly popular and entertaining, is not a true account of his life.
As Russian romantic author and painter Lermontov said, "The trouble with Rousseau's confessions is that he read them to his friends."
Last Words on Rousseau
Rousseau lived during the Age of Enlightenment with its social upheavals and romanticism. In his works, he discussed political philosophy, education and personal development.
He believed that environment has a part in shaping people. Rousseau died at the age of 66, July 2, 1778.
Works by Jean Jacques Rousseau
- Discourse on the Sciences and Arts, 1750
- Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, 1753
- Julie, or the New Héloïse, 1761
- Émile, or a New System of Education, 1762
- The Social Contract, 1762
- Confessions, 1782 (published after he died)
Sources:
- Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994.
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers, Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
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