Julie, or the New Heloise: Letters of Two Lovers Who Live in a Small Town at the Foot of the Alps (Collected Writings of Rousseau) Paperback – October 15, 1997

Perhaps the single most influential book of the late 18th century, and one of the most important novels of all time. A founding stone for the period in literature and the arts that in Germany is referred to as the "Age of Goethe" (roughly, early 1770s-early 1820s).Rousseau touches on one of the most important "engines" of human endeavour and artistic creativity of the time, perhaps of all times (the same one that Foucault covers in his "History of Sexuality"), and he choses to do so not in the form of a treatise, as one might have expected from the philosopher, but of a novel. And he succeeds. The construction of the narrative and the logical unfolding of his arguments are impeccable, and on top of that it is even today still a highly enjoyable read.Excellent translation and annotation. The engravings (very important) are superbly rendered. High quality book.

Very well translated! With older books it can be difficult to judge the correct degree of readability versus old-fashioned formality, but I think they did a great job here.Honestly, I don't know how to rate the story itself -- it's actually so dull I gave up reading it, and it's apparent in my second-hand copy that the previous owner gave up even sooner than I did. The story isn't very strong, not much plot. The philosophy seems to be the main draw. The story is basically two people in love -- Julie, and a man who goes unnamed for most of the book -- but social conventions bar their union, and so they secretly write letters to one another in which they mostly talk about how they morally justify seeing or not seeing one another. Occasionally there is a barely mentioned complication like Julie's mother is ill, or her father is arranging another marriage for Julie, but it gets almost no page-time and instead your are just left to read the musing of Julie, her cousin, or her boyfriend on how to justify whatever course of action they have presently picked. The only thing to recommend this story is the historical significance, because this bland book was just HUGE in the 18th century.

A lively and graceful translation of a book that, despite its long (read 'excessive') length, should be better known and appreciated. It is a complex work, more philosophical than novelistic , full of surprising -and surprisingly modern- ideas on nearly every subject of importance ( what makes a passion or love healthy, how can individuals be free and connected to others, what kind of education is best for children and the community?). The wonder of it is that despite the certainly, even dogmatism. of individual characters, the effect as a whole is of a very engaged and open conversation. This may be due in part to its epistolary narrative form—character A writes to B who responds to A after reading a letter than C wrote. That is, actions and ideas, are strung out and reshaped between the different characters at different times. That said, the other reason for its complicated effect is the author himself. It is often said that Rousseau’s life was one long struggle to find a balance between his emotion and his reason, his need for freedom and his need for order. My recommendation: read the book and see if, in the end, he finds it.

Classic story of love and fidelity, the roles of wives as heads of households. Was a little difficult to get started but overall a good book.

Absolutely beautiful!

Lovely edition, although paper.

It is a pity that Julie, or the New Heloise is neither better known nor more widely read. It is one of the great novels. Rousseau may be most famous as a philosopher and Julie includes many philosophical passages, discussing issues such as education, virtue and religion, but he shows in this novel that he was both a fine writer and an able storyteller. The ideas he puts into the mouths of his characters are interesting, the debates they engage in are continually fascinating, but it is the story he tells which is truly memorable for it is deeply moving.The novel consists of a series of letters some quite short, some extending to many pages. The main characters are Julie d'Étange, a young Swiss girl of noble birth and her tutor who has the pseudonym St. Preux. They begin an affair and fall deeply in love. It is this initial relationship of pupil to teacher, developing into passion, which is supposed to remind the reader of the medieval lovers Abelard and Heloise. Moreover both pairs of lovers face difficulties and opposition from family. They experience the joys of love and suffer because of it. These parallels however, should not be overestimated, Rousseau is not retelling an old story and Julie's life is quite different from that of Heloise. The story has numerous twists and turns and many surprises along the way. Other characters interact with the young lovers write letters to them and to each other. Gradually over the course of a long novel one begins to care about these people. It is here that Rousseau's skill as a writer is most evident. I found myself emotionally involved in the story of Julie and St. Preux in a way which was quite unexpected. By the end I had felt much joy and not a little sorrow and had been touched by a novel that can bring forth tears.The epistolary form works very well, and is used cleverly, even if sometimes a letter is so large it could scarcely fit into an envelope. It has to be said however, that this novel is difficult. It has to be read carefully as it continually refers itself back to previous letters, which means that one is constantly re-reading previous passages. Sometimes it is necessary to read a paragraph over again in order to fully understand it. This is not a novel that can be skimmed, but must be savoured and read over a period of weeks. This fact should not discourage anyone from reading Julie, for it is as rewarding as it is challenging. If it is hard, it is also a pleasure.The edition of Julie published by the University Press of New England is scholarly and a stunning achievement. The translation of Philip Steward and Jean Vaché is the first full translation into English since the 18th century. It reads well and seems both accurate and fluent. There are over seventy pages of notes, which I found both essential for my understanding of the novel and interesting in the way they expand and explain the various obscure references in the text. Stewart writes a relatively short introduction, which is clear and comprehensible. It is neither overly academic nor dry. My only wish is that it were somewhat longer. Spread throughout the novel are twelve beautiful illustrations depicting scenes from the novel. Finally this edition includes a summary of each letter and a chronology of the events in the novel. I found these very useful as a means of finding my way through what can be a dense and complex correspondence. Julie, or the New Heloise is a truly great novel and this edition does it justice.

Sounds weird to read a love story written by such an illustrious personage. But it is. It is the impossible love between a teacher and his student. It is a love that is effected through an exchange of letters. Totally outdated, by the way it is written, it is interesting to see the approaches that of love makes the philosopher.

Turgid with good parts

A real pleasure to read. I can feel all the emotions expressed. Notes at the end very helpful. Worth every penny :)