the confessions of jean jacques rousseau

She was also, by a number of accounts, an odd figure. In the hotel where he was living (near the Sorbonne) he met Thérèse Lavasseur who worked as a seamstress. Jean-Jacques Rousseau returned to Paris in 1745 and earned a living as a music teacher and copyist. Through the sponsorship of a number of society women he became the personal secretary to the French ambassador to Venice – a position from which he was quickly fired for not having the ability to put up with a boss whom he viewed as stupid and arrogant. There he became a close friend of David Diderot, who was to commission him to write articles on music for the French Encyclopédie. It was not a very successful experience (nor were his other episodes of tutoring). In 1740 he worked as a tutor to the two sons of M. He set himself up as a music teacher in Chambéry (1732) and began a period of intense self education. Under her patronage he developed a taste for music. Twelve years his senior she was in turns a mother figure, a friend and a lover. However, at 16 (in 1728) he left this trade to travel, but quickly become secretary and companion to Madame Louise de Warens. He increasingly turned to the latter for solace.Īt the age of 13 he was apprenticed to an engraver. His father taught him to read and helped him to appreciate the countryside.

He had happy memories of his childhood – although it had some odd features such as not being allowed to play with children his own age. Rousseau was brought up first by his father (Issac) and an aunt (his mother died a few days after his birth), and later and by an uncle. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) was born in Geneva (June 28) but became famous as a ‘French’ political philosopher and educationalist. His book Émile was the most significant book on education after Plato’s Republic, and his other work had a profound impact on political theory and practice, romanticism and the development of the novel (Wokler 1995: 1). Drawing from a broad spectrum of traditions including botany, music and philosophy, his thinking has influenced subsequent generations of educational thinkers – and permeates the practice of informal educators. What can such a man offer educators? The answer is that his work offers great insight. At times he found living among people difficult, preferring the solitary life.

Apparently unable to bring up his own children, he committed them to orphanages soon after birth. Why should those concerned with education study Rousseau? He had an unusual childhood with no formal education. We explore Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s life and contribution. His novel Émile was the most significant book on education after Plato’s Republic, and his other work had a profound impact on political theory and practice, romanticism and the development of the novel. Jean-Jacques Rousseau – wikipedia commons – pd Jean-Jacques Rousseau on nature, wholeness and education.

The confessions of jean jacques rousseau