Rousseau

Hensel, Paul, 1860-1930Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 241K words
Chapters: 25

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Rousseau by Paul HenselAuthor: Hensel, Paul, 1860-1930,Language: German, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Dec 20, 2013

Editor's review

This short book on Rousseau, written in German by Paul Hensel, belongs to the genre of early intellectual biographies of Rousseau. It is not an exhaustive biography but focuses on the internal logic of Rousseau's thought and its historical context. It suits readers who wish to move beyond the literary impression left by the Confessions and grasp Rousseau's problematic directly. Hensel's prose shows the restraint and orderliness of late nineteenth-century German academic writing, and the argumentative framework is clear; readers can use it to build an overall skeleton for understanding Rousseau before returning to close readings of the original works. As a public-domain e-book from Project Gutenberg, it is easy to obtain and modest in length, making it suitable as a guide before reading The Social Contract or Emile, or as a secondary reference for course papers. Note that the German original poses a language barrier for Chinese readers, and its views bear the imprint of the era in which it was written; it is best read in comparison with more recent scholarship rather than treated as definitive.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want a systematic understanding of the thread of Rousseau's thought and need a concise introduction
Students of literature and history with German reading ability who are interested in early Rousseau scholarship
Those preparing to read The Social Contract and other original works who wish to build a framework first
Enthusiasts of intellectual history interested in the style of late nineteenth-century German academic writing

Not a good fit for

General readers with no German at all who are also unwilling to use a translation
Those who want only anecdotes about Rousseau's life and expect a popular biographical narrative
Professional researchers who need the latest scholarly views and surveys of contemporary research

Reading tips

Read the introduction and conclusion first to grasp the book's problem framework, then proceed to close reading of individual chapters.
Read in tandem with relevant passages from The Social Contract or A Discourse on Inequality, taking notes as you go.
When encountering key concepts, consult terminology in Chinese translations to avoid misunderstanding caused by differences in German expression.
After finishing, read a contemporary introduction to Rousseau scholarship and compare it with Hensel's judgments to form your own view.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book written by Rousseau himself?

No. It is a research work on Rousseau written by Paul Hensel in German. It is a scholarly commentary on Rousseau's thought and life, not an original work by Rousseau, and readers should not treat it as a primary text.

Can someone who does not know German read this book?

The original is in German, so direct reading poses a language barrier. If you do not know German, you can start with a Chinese or English introduction to Rousseau scholarship, or consult relevant translations to understand its basic framework, and then decide whether to go further.

Do I need to read Rousseau's original works first?

Not necessarily. This short book can serve as a guide into Rousseau: first understand his problematic and the thread of his thought, then read The Social Contract, Emile, and other original works. Understanding will be smoother and it will be easier to grasp the key points.

Are this book's views still applicable today?

It bears the imprint of late nineteenth-century German scholarship: the framework is clear but it does not necessarily reflect recent research. It is suitable as an introduction and point of reference, not as definitive, and is best read in comparison with contemporary Rousseau scholarship.

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About the author

Hensel, Paul, 1860-1930 Author · German · 1860–1930

Paul Hensel (1860–1930) was a German philosopher whose scholarly work centered on Kantian philosophy, ethics, and the philosophy of religion. One work by him is currently held in this collection, Rousseau, which suggests that his research also extended to modern intellectual history and the study of individual thinkers, combining philosophical analysis with an examination of a thinker's life and ideas. Public information on Hensel's biography is limited; his education, teaching posts, and the full development of his writings remain to be further verified. On the available evidence, he belongs to the group of scholars in the German-speaking academic world of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who engaged with the Kantian tradition and with ethical and religious questions. His writing addresses professional readers in the history of philosophy and intellectual history, and is plain in style and rigorous in argument, offering some reference value in these fields.