A few notable autobiographies existed in Europe before Rousseau published the Confessions, but his work in many ways represented an entirely new literary form. Although works such as St. Augustine’s own Confessions (a.d. 397) had previously been widely read and celebrated, religious works of that kind differed greatly from Rousseau’s own, since they sought to convey an inspirational story of religious virtuosity. By contrast, Rousseau’s Confessions sought to bare the entire life of its author subject, detailing all his imperfections, virtues, individual neuroses, and formative childhood experiences as a means of explaining and justifying the views and personality of his adult self.
Although Rousseau states that The Confessions should not be
Although Rousseau states that The Confessions should not be