Do You See What I See? The Education of the Reader in Rousseau'sEmile

Bibliographic Data

ID6400570
AuthorsJohn T Scott (0000-0003-4260-0090, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume74
Issue3
Pages443-464
Publication date2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Review of Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0034-6705 • E-ISSN: 1748-6858
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0034670512000563
OpenAlexW2099538826
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited12

Rousseau first glimpsed the principle of the natural goodness of man in the so-called “Illumination of Vincennes,” and he made it his mission as an author to persuade his readers of the truth of that vision. Rousseau must persuade his readers that they are deceived by what they see before their own eyes and that they must learn to see anew—through his eyes. In order to educate his reader, Rousseau consistently uses rhetorical and literary techniques that are meant to change the reader's perspective. His use of these techniques is particularly pervasive inEmile. The present analysis examines Rousseau's education of the reader of his pedagogical treatise, especially through comparisons he draws between his imaginary pupil, Emile, and actual children that are meant to persuade the reader of the truth of what first appears to be imaginary and the falsity of what the reader previously believed was real

Art · Epistemology · Falsity · Linguistics · Natural (archaeology · Order (exchange · Perspective (graphical · Psychoanalysis · Rhetorical question · Sociology · The Imaginary · Historical and Literary Studies · History · Philosophy · Political Theory and Influence · Psychology · Rousseau and Enlightenment Thought

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