Four Plays by Jean-Jacques Rousseau


Book Description

Rousseau is often called the Father of the Romantic Movement. Here, in one volume, are his four completed plays in lively, sparkling new English translations created for stage performance as well as reading pleasure and study. NARCISSUS (One-act comedy): A young man obsessed with his good looks is tricked into falling in love with a most unlikely subject. PRISONERS OF WAR (One-act comedy): A French soldier held prisoner in Hungary is torn between duty to his country and his love for the daughter of an enemy. THE RECKLESS WAGER (Three-act comedy): A young widow, determined never to marry again, plays a dangerous game of love and jealousy with her would-be suitor. PYGMALION (One-act lyric romance): A great sculptor, in the throes of despair, comes to realize that only by pouring his very soul into his art can it truly come to life. Introductions to the volume and to each individual play trace Rousseau's personal and professional life, and the various ways in which it was reflected in his plays.




Discourse on the Sciences and Arts


Book Description

Rousseau attacks the social and political effects of the dominant forms of scientific knowledge. Contains the entire First Discourse, contemporary attacks on it, Rousseau's replies to his critics, and his summary of the debate in his preface to Narcissus. A number of these texts have never before been available in English. The First Discourse and Polemics demonstrate the continued relevance of Rousseau's thought. Whereas his critics argue for correction of the excesses and corruptions of knowledge and the sciences as sufficient, Rousseau attacks the social and political effects of the dominant forms of scientific knowledge.




Jean-Jacques Rousseau


Book Description

Reconstructs the life of the French literary genius whose writing changed opinions and fueled fierce debate on both sides of the Atlantic during the period of the American and French revolutions.




Discourse on the Origin of Inequality


Book Description

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 'Discourse on the Origin of Inequality' is a philosophical treatise that delves into the origins and effects of social inequality. Written in the form of a dialogue between two characters, this book presents Rousseau's thought-provoking ideas on the state of nature, the development of human society, and the emergence of inequality. Rousseau's writing style is both compelling and thought-provoking, as he challenges conventional views on the nature of man and society. Through logical arguments and vivid examples, he seeks to uncover the root causes of inequality and its impact on individuals and society as a whole. Set against the backdrop of the Enlightenment era, this book offers a unique perspective on the human condition and the societal structures that shape our lives. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a renowned philosopher and political theorist, was known for his radical ideas on education, politics, and society. His experiences as a thinker and writer influenced his views on inequality and the human condition, leading him to write this groundbreaking work. I highly recommend 'Discourse on the Origin of Inequality' to readers interested in exploring the philosophical roots of social inequality and the complexities of human nature.







The Reveries of the Solitary Walker


Book Description

An exploration of the soul in the form of a final meditation on self-understanding and isolation.




SOCIAL CONTRACT.


Book Description




Abandoned to Ourselves


Book Description

In this extraordinary work, Peter Alexander Meyers shows how the centerpiece of the Enlightenment—society as the symbol of collective human life and as the fundamental domain of human practice—was primarily composed and animated by its most ambivalent figure: Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Displaying this new society as an evolving field of interdependence, Abandoned to Ourselves traces the emergence and moral significance of dependence itself within Rousseau’s encounters with a variety of discourses of order, including theology, natural philosophy, and music. Underpinning this whole scene we discover a modernizing conception of the human Will, one that runs far deeper than Rousseau’s most famous trope, the “general Will.” As Abandoned to Ourselves weaves together historical acuity with theoretical insight, readers will find here elements for a reconstructed sociology inclusive of things and persons and, as a consequence, a new foundation for contemporary political theory.




Rousseau and Dignity


Book Description

Rousseau and Dignity is a volume that combines a photography exhibit, lectures, commentary, and audience reactions by people ages seven to ninety-two, all for Jean-Jacques Rousseau's tercentennial.




Metamorphoses


Book Description

The Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses, completed around 8AD, shows the presence and prevalence of change in the world. Beginning with chaos and creation, Ovid embraces a vast array of mythological tales within his theme of transformation.