The Romantic Period Of Jean Jacques Rousseau - 1915 Words

during the Eighteenth Century, influential ideologies, portrayed in literature, from religion to nature, to childhood and education began to shape people’s perception and thinking on such matters. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a contemporary, and is considered one of the earliest prominent voices in Nineteenth-Century Romanticism. The Romantic period marked the gradual but significant shift from the rational thinking of the Eighteenth-Century Enlightenment to a more emotional and individual thinking of the Romantics. In a way, Romanticism acted as reaction to modernity, rebutting the social and political norms and the rationalisation of nature from a scientific stance. Romanticism revived medievalism, in comparison to the classicism that was†¦show more content†¦His theory on childhood and education has been remarkable, with his works being referenced still to this day. Émile or On Education (1762) is a major writing, with Rousseau musing on the progress of mankind an d the attempt to perfect the human race. Émile sets to find a way of resolving the contradictions between the natural man who is all for himself and the implications of life in society. Rousseau’s theory of mankind becoming more civilized has not perfected human society, instead it has corrupted and tarnished it. Émile systematically sets out a new form of education, designed to be more ‘natural’. Émile attempts to protect children from the corruption of civilisation and prepare them for their entry into the corrupt social realm. An important point to make is that Émile asks to be read ironically, with the effects of modernity being reiterated as unattainable. Voltaire, a contemporary philosophical rival was critical of Émile stating that it is â€Å"hodgepodge of a silly wet nurse in four volumes, with forty pages against Christianity, among the boldest ever known...He says as many hurtful things against the philosophers as against Jesus C hrist, but the philosophers will be more indulgent than the priests.† Many writers in the Romantic period agree with the notion that Rousseau proposed, arguing that we are inherently good, but are corrupted by the evils of civilization. His focus on childhood is dueShow MoreRelatedJean Jacques Rousseau s Work Essay941 Words   |  4 PagesSeptember 2015 Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva on June 28th, 1712. Those who were present had no clue that this child’s life would serve as a catalyst for philosophical and political reform. Rousseau’s writings had so much influence in the 18th century that he â€Å"played a significant role in three different revolutions† (52). In fact his work leaves a legacy so large that you can trace almost all modern revolutions back to his writings. In 1749 Rousseau competed forRead MoreGeorge Rousseau And Jean Jacques Rousseau Essay1002 Words   |  5 Pagesthe French Revolution and the abolishment of the French monarchy but let us take a look a few years before that, where two great minds of this time had their own opinion of Liberty an how to achieve it. Denis Diderot and Jean-Jacques Rousseau are two of the original Romantics; they both brought new ideas to the world and tried to change it. Diderot was very big on man being able to think for themselves, not always being told what to do and how to do it, he believe in our ability to reason and makeRead MoreJean-Jacques Rousseau Influence on the Declaration of Independence743 Words   |  3 Pagesphilosophers and writers. 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Their treatment of subject was emotional rather than reasonable, intuitive rather than analytical. Among other Romantics, the focusRead MoreJean Jacques Rousseau And The Discourse On Inequality1546 Words   |  7 PagesJean-Jacques Rousseau, A Discourse Upon the Origin and the Foundation of the Inequality Among Mankind â€Å"In fact, the real source of all those differences, is that the savage lives within himself, whereas the citizen, beside himself, knows only how to live in the opinion of others; in so much that it is, if I may say so, merely from their judgement that he derives the consciousness of his own existence,† (Rousseau) The quote deriving from one of history’s most powerful and opinionated critique toRead More Literary Analysis of the Enlightenment Period and Romanticism1461 Words   |  6 PagesDuring the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the literary world witnessed the birth of the Enlightenment and Romantic Periods. There were similarities as well as very notable differences between the two. There were also two prominent voices that gained notoriety during each of these two periods. Voltaire is considered to be the pioneer of the power of reason and Rousseau is looked upon as a legendary figure of Nineteenth Century Romanticism. This analysis will evaluate the two eras, both writersRead MoreThe Age Of Enlightenment By Jean Jacques Rousseau Essay1324 Words   |  6 PagesIn Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s autobiography, Confessions, he presents a dramatic tell all of his life story. During the eighteenth century, the period, known as the Enlightenment, swept across Europe. Rousseau found himself in the middle of all of it. The Age of Enlightenment was a time when scholars took to science to explain human nature and the world around them. His autobiography reflects how instead of following this trend Rousseau established a kind of counterculture to the Enlightenment. He didn’tRead MoreA Summary Of John Locke And Jean-Jacques Rousseau1651 Words   |  7 PagesThe Enlightenment period questioned traditional methods of educating children and introduced revolutionary new ways of thinking to bring about improvements in education and to actual allow students to enjoy learning. Before the Enlightenment, children were treated like small adult s with no thought given to the development of very young children and once they were old enough to receive education it consisted of forced memory work along with harsh discipline (Platz Arellano, 2011). The EnlightenmentRead MoreRousseau s Influence On Politics And Literature1991 Words   |  8 Pagesof work that is wide and very influential supplemented by other pieces of work that he later came up with such as Discourse Sur l’origine De L’inegalite and other drafts that he had made of the constitutions for both Poland and Corsica. Generally, Rousseau is seen as a moralist rather than a metaphysician in the sense that he is unavoidable while learning about history and political influence in relation to the French revolution and as well a political theorist. His thoughts are well thought out andRead MoreTaking a Look at the Romantic Era1107 Words   |  4 PagesRomantic Era Romanticism was brought to life around 1780 and thinned out around 1850. During this age romantic thought and imagination was chosen over reason, emotions, logic, intuition, and science. The late 18th century was a perfect era for romanticism. During this time period it spread wildly through the countries of Europe, the United States and Latin America and touched the pens of so many writers. Romanticism gave a type of feeling that made a lot excited or enthused to write and express