The indispensable Rousseau

The ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) have had a seminal influence on the modern world. His most important political work, “The Social Contract,” became a handbook of the French Revolution; his book on education, “Emile,” radically changed people’s attitudes toward children; his novel, “The New Heloise,” and his autobiographical “Confessions” were key documents in the birth of the Romantic Movement. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to Rousseau’s ideas, containing extracts from all his major works and lesser-known texts. It includes an introductory outline of his thought, and relates each work to its context in his life.