A Solitary Walker's Reflections

Author: (French) Rousseau / Wu Jing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Voltaire ended an era, and Rousseau began one. — [German] Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Rousseau, this solitary walker, like the author of the groundbreaking work Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, is full of contradictions. The beautiful title he chose can be seen as an arrogant affirmation, or perhaps a sigh of sorrow. The physical solitude this thinker longed for became a cruel torment for this emotional and suffering individual in spirit. — [French] Jacques Vaché
Rousseau is immortal. — [Russian] Leo Tolstoy
In this book, Rousseau, who had experienced the vicissitudes of life, finally rises up with a "sweet and profound fantasy" in his conversations with nature. In this work, we see not Rousseau overwhelmed by life's disasters and solitude, but rather Rousseau who rekindles the tranquility and sweetness of life in nature. Having abandoned the greed and vanity of high society, he begins to deeply examine his own soul; unwilling to hold a "position that is fundamentally unsuitable for me," he starts copying musical scores for payment per page. He "is lost in the charm of nature, lost in thought in a world of silence, occasionally broken only by the screech of an eagle, the chirping of birds, and the roar of a mountain stream." In this complete silence, Rousseau truly feels his own existence. In this sense of fulfillment and tranquility, the life of Rousseau also shines with a brilliant light. In his later years, Rousseau finally learned to rise above the mundane, just as he himself had hoped, and his life was completely immersed in happiness. It is precisely because of his innocence that the later life of Rousseau can radiate a brilliant light in his reflections on nature.