Rousseau’s Occasional Autobiographies

304 Pages·1992·17.192 MB·English

by  Susan K. Jackson

In this lively study of autobiography in
the making, Susan K. Jackson looks at
the ways in which Rousseau’s earlier
occasional work informed his later auto-
biographical masterpiece, Confessions
;
which some have credited with initiat-
ing autobiography in its modern form.
Jackson’s study begins with the prem-
ise that Confessions did not represent
the first time that Rousseau became in-
own
terested in writing the story of his
although Rousseau himself claimed
life,
it was. Rather, Jackson traces his preoc-
cupation with autobiography, which she
shows began as early as 1752 through
,
many ofhis occasional and less well-
known works. Reading Confessions in
tandem with a series of texts that Rous-
seau insisted were occasional (texts that
include personal Lettres in response to
Malesherbes and belles-lettres ofpur-
ported response to the official condem-
nation ofhis own Emile), Jackson shows
that Rousseau did not suddenly leap into
autobiography as a way to challenge pre-
vailing philosophical and literary limits.
Time and time again, Rousseau encoded
himself in earlier works; therefore, Jack-
son argues, Confessions can only be fully
appreciated if read in conjunction with
earlier self-inscribed works. Jackson goes
on to place Rousseau and his writing
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ROUSSEAU’S OCCASIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

Rousseau’s Occasional
Autobiographies
K
Susan Jackson
Ohio State University Press
Columbus
©
Copyright 1992 by the Ohio State University Press.
All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jackson, Susan K.
Rousseau’s occasional autobiographies / Susan K. Jackson,
cm.
p.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8142-0565-8 (alk. paper)
—
1. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 1712—1778 Biography. 2. Authors,
— —
French Biography History and criticism. 3- Autobiography.
I. Title.
PQ2043.J33 1991
848'.509—dc20
[B] 91_34284
CIP
Text and jacket design by Donna Hartwick.
Type set in Garamond by The Composing Room of Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI.
Printed by Versa Press, East Peoria, IL.
Contents
Preface vii
On
Introduction: the Occasional
1
1. Echoing Narcisse. The Self-Portraitist as Prefacer 19
2. Rededications: Auto-avilissement and Autobiography 57
(Without) Naming Names: The Preface deJulie 104
3.
4. What the Censor Saw: Lettres a Malesherbes 142
5. Ultimate Sacrifices: Le Levite d’Ephratm 187
Conclusion: Theorizing the Practice of Occasional
Autobiography 230
Notes 255
Index 273