Julie, or the New Letters of Two Lovers Who Live in a Small Town at the Foot of the Alps (Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, Works. Vol. 6.)

by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Amazon Price: $29.70 (as of 10/11/2008)

It is a pity that Julie, or the New Heloise is neither better known nor more widely read. It is one of the great novels. Rousseau may be most famous as a philosopher and Julie includes many philosophical passages, discussing issues such as education, virtue and religion, but he shows in this novel that he was both a fine writer and an able storyteller. The ideas he puts into the mouths of his characters are interesting, the debates they engage in are continually fascinating, but it is the story he tells which is truly memorable for it is deeply moving.

The novel consists of a series of letters some quite short, some extending to many pages. The main characters are Julie d'Étange, a young Swiss girl of noble birth and her tutor who has the pseudonym St. Preux. They begin an affair and fall deeply in love. It is this initial relationship of pupil to teacher, developing into passion, which is supposed to remind the reader of the medieval lovers Abelard and Heloise. Moreover both pairs of lovers face difficulties and opposition from family. They experience the joys of love and suffer because of it. These parallels however, should not be overestimated, Rousseau is not retelling an old story and Julie's life is quite different from that of Heloise. The story has numerous twists and turns and many surprises along the way. Other characters interact with the young lovers write letters to them and to each other. Gradually over the course of a long novel one begins to care about these people. It is here that Rousseau's skill as a writer is most evident. I found myself emotionally involved in the story of Julie and St. Preux in a way which was quite unexpected. By the end I had felt much joy and not a little sorrow and had been touched by a novel that can bring forth tears.

The Social Contract

by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 10/11/2008)

I first read the Social Contract back in college. Then, it was but one piece of philosophy/political writings out of many. I ran across the book again a few months ago and decided to give it a second reading. I was very happy that I did. In these uncertain times, the truth and role of government becomes cloudy. Rousseau's work helped to remind me that the government should serve the people and humanity in general. This is an idea that really seems to have been lost, especially under the Bush administration. Although I do not agree with everything Rousseau writes, I would recommend this work to anyone to read this and reflect on its modern context. "Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains."

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