III.

Later Works

In the influential novel Émile (1762; trans. 1763) Rousseau expounded a new theory of education, emphasizing the importance of expression rather than repression to produce a well-balanced, freethinking child.

Rousseau’s unconventional views antagonized French and Swiss authorities and alienated many of his friends. He had met the Scottish philosopher David Hume in Paris, and in 1766 he fled to England, where Hume offered him sanctuary. However, the pair soon quarrelled and denounced each other in public letters. During his stay in England Rousseau prepared the manuscript for his posthumously published treatise on botany, La Botanique (Botany, 1802). Rousseau returned to France in 1768 under the assumed name of Renou. In 1770 he completed the manuscript of his most remarkable work, the autobiographical Confessions (1782; trans. 1783, 1790), which contained a penetrating self-examination and revealed the intense emotional and moral conflicts in his life. He died on July 2, 1778, in Ermenonville, France.