Confessions, by the Genevan author Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78), explores the intimacies of his personal life and is often considered the first modern autobiography published in the global West. After a lifetime of struggles—many self-inflicted—Rousseau decided to counter attacks on his character by publishing his memoirs. Rousseau was a philosopher, writer, and composer, and he is best known for his contribution to liberal democracy; his The Social Contract, which advocates for independence in a civil society governed by laws that promote the common good, is a classic work of political philosophy that inspired anti-monarchical reforms and revolutions. Rousseau is associated with the 18th-century Enlightenment, a movement initiated in France that celebrated reason, independence, liberty, and fraternity and helped inspire revolutions in both France and North America. His growing emphasis on emotion and beauty resulted in tensions with other Enlightenment figures and made him a key figure in the development of Romanticism.

Confessions was published in two parts after Rousseau’s death. Part 1, Books I-VI, was published in 1782, and Books VII-XII were published as Part 2 in 1789. The work explores the personal scandals that tormented Rousseau’s public life, including his experiences with a highly controversial affair and the abandonment of his children. This guide utilizes the 1992 version published by Everyman’s Library.

Content Warning: The source material for this guide includes a description of sexual assault.

Summary

Confessions is a memoir of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s life. It details his experiences as a young man living in Geneva and his lifelong love affair with a woman 12 years his senior. Rousseau attempts to shed light on his personal choices and his writings that made him a focus of public contention and outcry. His book speaks to four major themes: Abandonment and Running Away; Hypocrisy and Deceit; Rationalism versus Romanticism; and Self-Love, Self-Justification, and Vanity.

In Book I, Rousseau describes his childhood. His mother died while giving birth to him, and he felt his father both idolized him and saw in him the tragedy of loss. His childhood shaped much of his adult life, and this section establishes the importance of memory. Rousseau asserts that the abuse and degradation he endured from the journeymen he worked for broke his spirit and plunged him into a life of thievery and deceit. However, he rediscovered a love for reading, which liberated him.

In Books II and III, Rousseau details his experiences after leaving Geneva and arriving in Savoy. He falls in love with a woman named Madame de Warens, who secures a place for him in a home for new converts. Rousseau converts from Calvinism to Catholicism, despite his misgivings about this decision. He finds work with two wealthy women, first as an engraver and, later, as a scribe. At the end of this book, Rousseau confesses that he framed another servant for the theft of a ribbon, causing her dismissal and damage to her reputation. After failing to accomplish himself as a valet or a priest, he returns to Madame de Warens, where he meets and falls under the tutelage of a choirmaster and composer. He abandons this post, too, and once more runs to Warens, whom he affectionately refers to as “mamma.”

Book IV provides myriad examples of the theme Abandonment and Running Away. Rousseau attempts to return to Warens, only to discover that she has already absconded to Paris. He escorts her servant back to her family and stops to see his father, promising to spend more time with him on his return trip. Instead, Rousseau travels in a different direction and takes several different jobs before Warens sends for him.

In Books V and VI, Rousseau’s relationship with Madame de Warens escalates. She offers to engage in a sexual relationship with him, and he accepts. His feelings for Warens are complicated, comprising both shame and love. He spends time with her in the countryside, and Rousseau recognizes connecting with nature as his happiest memories, contributing to the theme of Rationalism versus Romanticism. Meanwhile, after engaging in dangerous physical experiments, Rousseau’s health drastically declines. He suffers an even greater blow when he discovers that Madame de Warens has a new lover, a much younger man.

In Books VII and VII, Rousseau describes his pursuit of a relationship with a woman named Thérèse, whom he affectionately calls “aunt.” Thérèse is the daughter of a shopkeeper, and Rousseau makes her his mistress, providing financially for her and her family. He addresses the allegations of his abandonment of his five children, mothered by Thérèse. During that era, Rousseau wrote his first essay, which won the Academy of Dijon prize, ushering in a new wave of fame and prosperity for the philosopher.

Books IX and X describe Rousseau’s time living at the Hermitage, a small cottage provided for him by Madame d’Épinay. He has many fallouts with contemporary philosophers of the day, and his time at the Hermitage marks his most prolific as a writer. In Books XI and XII, Rousseau covers the most recent period of his life, including the publication of Émile and The Social Contract. Both bring him considerable fame, as well as contempt, and he is forced to leave Paris.