Genre
Political Philosophy
Setting and Context
18th-century Geneva; the history of Western civilization; the state of nature
Narrator and Point of View
Rousseau narrates from the omniscient perspective of the philosopher
Tone and Mood
Critical, Paradoxical, Nostalgic, hopeful
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Man Antagonist: inequality
Major Conflict
Man's descent into inequality with the rise of civilization, and whether he will be able to return to a more free and equal state
