The New Sentimentalism in Literature. The sensationalist psychology encouraged an intense subjectivism among many writers. Thus, in the literature of the second half of the eighteenth and the first third of the nineteenth century, a common theme in literature is the assertion of personal identity and a sense of the uniqueness of each individual. Often, this theme is cast in a confessional mold, in which authors seek to reveal in their characters (or in themselves) a transparent perception of the characters' inner feelings and thoughts. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) launched this movement with his immensely influential and widely read Confessions (1781-1788), written mostly between 1766 and 1770. Rousseau described his most personal and private feelings and experiences, portraying himself as radically different from others and misunderstood. In describing his Confessions, Rousseau wrote, "I have resolved on an enterprise which has no precedent...