The Swiss-born philosopher and political theorist, Jean Jacques Rousseau ranks as one of the greatest figures of the French Enlightenment. Yet Jean Jacques Rousseau the man and his writings constitute a problem for anyone who wants to grasp to understand his life and work. One interpreter has called Rousseau "an irresponsible writer with a fatal gift for epigram." He has been variously called the founder of the romantic movement in literature and the intellectual father of the French Revolution, among other labels. Rousseau is a contradiction, a severe moralist who lived a dangerously "relaxed" life, a misanthrope who loved humanity.

Three major periods characterize Rousseau's life. The first (1712-1750) culminated in the succès de scandale of his Discours sur les sciences et les arts. The second (1750-1762) saw the publication of his closely related major works: La Nouvelle Héloïse (1761), L'Émile...