Confession

Author: Augustine/Ying Feng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Among the countless autobiographical works in history, it is evident that very few possess genuine literary value, and even fewer have achieved the status of literary masterpieces. As for those that have established the literary stature of their authors through their intellectual, artistic, and stylistic significance—positions not merely ordinary literary seats, but rather exalted statuses revered for a long time—perhaps only Confessions qualifies. Rousseau, a figure who pioneered a new era in both social and political thought, as well as in literary content, style, and tone, primarily propelled and inspired 19th-century French literature through this autobiography. As one highly authoritative critic of the time remarked, it brought "the greatest progress" and "the greatest revolution since Pascal." This critic humbly acknowledged, "We, the people of the 19th century, emerged from this revolution."