Jean-Jacques Rousseau's autobiography The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, self-titled Confessions, was published four years after his death. The legitimacy of the information contained in the book is unverifiable although largely accepted to be true. Growing up without parents, Rousseau learns to be resourceful. He approaches life unconventionally. After an apprenticeship fails, he is taken in by this wealthy old lady to be his boy toy, an arrangement to which he returns multiple times. He moves around all the time, escaping his problems. In France he publishes an opera which becomes so successful that the king himself asks to meet him, but Rousseau runs away again. He does not want to be the center of attention, knowing how many skeletons he's hiding in his closet. After an awfully unsuccessful and impetuous marriage to a Frenchwoman named Therese, Rousseau continues with his art. He works for patrons mostly, until they all become upset by his inflammatory nature. The last patrons he has, a couple, Rousseau writes two books in which he thoroughly embarrasses them. Escaping a trial, he heads to his hometown in Switzerland, but this time he can't run from his problems because his reputation precedes him. Rousseau ends up seeking refuge in England, where he finishes writing this manuscript.
Although never published during his lifetime, Rousseau's Confessions was important to him during his lifetime. He is known to have performed sections of the document at public events. He seems to have been constantly preoccupied by reputation, desiring to be respected for who he is. Unfortunately for Rousseau, his life choices just weren't socially acceptable during the time. Rather than abandon all hope of success, Rousseau chooses to continue to promote himself through his art. Since his opera is so widely received, he feels encouraged to make more daring art, but he soon learns that people respect an artist more for the artist's story than for his or her work. Once again Rousseau is unable to escape from the mistakes of his past. He does, however, write this fascinating autobiography. Finally, he is able to give voice to exactly what he's been doing and why. He's trying to redeem himself socially by publishing a favorable account, hoping to become a sensation. Needless to say his various adventures are entertaining, even if Rousseau's character proves frustrating.
