The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

De: Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Narrado por: Jonathan Keeble

Published four years after Rousseau's death, Confessions is a remarkably frank and honest self-portrait, described by Rousseau as "the history of my soul". From his idyllic youth in the Swiss mountains, to his career as a composer in Paris and his abandonment of his children, Rousseau lays bare his entire life with preternatural honesty. He relates his scandals, follies, jealousies, sexual exploits, and unrequited loves, as well as the torrential events surrounding his controversial works Discourses, Emile, and The Social Contract, which led to his persecution and wanderings in exile. Confessions provides an invaluable window into the making of the man, the society he lived in, and the development of ideas that would have a profound influence on philosophers and political theorists to come.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2020 Naxos AudioBooks

let himself be choked

Perhaps my favorite part of this recording was the flawless and effective and rather spry delivery of the narrator. This beautiful self effacement gained steam throughout this Enlightened tale of woe and roe...his life is indeed a series of hardships and hard earned battles...facing unknown social enemies...modern day frenemies...energy and idea thieves, jealous people of little talent that conspired against him throughout his life...one came to realize his life was the work of art...he was a man of the world ...music was his chosen profession..though his passion for it was not equalled by his talents...and this humbled him in a way that he could speak with everyman...he would always pay his debts...he was honest...but not faithful in the least...which was odd to read...being a divine storyteller was his greatest feat. this is a great tale. Just beautiful in every way, imagery, drama, historic relevance and chock full of social intrigue. and he escaped unscathed by the hair of his chinny chin chin.

Enjoyable read

The first half of this book does stay relatively faithful to the title. Jean-Jacques shares some confessions that impacted others in some cases profoundly. In doing so, his faults are relatable, and he becomes likable.

The second half reveals him for who he really is, and the unflattering results are clearly not what he intended. By the end, you feel you know him very well and would probably not like to meet him.

The book turns from confessions to accusations about everyone and anyone. He seems to want to say, 'see, I'm not as bad as everyone else!'.

The audible narration is fantastic and makes the story very enjoyable.

A life, honestly told

Long before we had "reality" shows, Jean-Jacques set out to tell the story of his life honestly and in detail. It's a very good read/listen, and makes you want to know more about the man, his famous ideas, and the world where he lived, loved and suffered the slings and arrows of misfortune. ;-)