Rousseau in England in the Nineteenth Century

Rousseau in England in the Nineteenth Century

The work examines the evolution of the reception of Rousseau’s ideas and literary achievements among English intellectuals throughout the nineteenth century. It begins with an account of Burke’s early, vehement denunciation of Rousseau—portraying him as a dangerous influence whose ideas had been misappropriated by revolutionaries and were responsible for the erosion of traditional values. Burke’s critique, both politically and morally charged, painted Rousseau’s works as seductions into debauchery and nihilism, an attack that resonated deeply with an English public already alarmed by the turbulence of the French Revolution. The narrative then turns to the broader spectrum of English responses. Early admiration of Rousseau’s imaginative and passionate writing is contrasted with growing discontent as political and moral implications of his works—especially the social contract and autobiographical revelations—began to arouse suspicion. The literary enthusiasm, initially sparked by works like the sentimental and passionate novels inspired by his writings, was gradually supplanted by horror at his perceived immorality, selfishness, and political radicalism. This shift was influenced by not only Burke’s invective but also by later publications and memoirs that exposed Rousseau’s private vices, thereby tainting his public image. Further, the work documents the critical debate between factions: on one hand, a radical, almost idolatrous admiration for Rousseau among some English literary figures—exemplified by the fervor of poets like Byron and Shelley, who interwove Rousseau’s legacy with their own aesthetic and political visions; on the other, a strong, conservative reaction from Tory and evangelical critics, who condemned his influence as corrosive to both moral standards and established political order. Illustrative are the bitter analyses provided by editors and reviewers in influential journals and periodicals, whose arguments decried Rousseau’s ideas as antithetical to English tradition and prudence. As the century advanced, the reaction became increasingly bifurcated. The early revolutionary enthusiasm that had once embraced Rousseau’s rejection of conventional morality and promotion of individual passion gradually lost its appeal in the face of renewed moral strictness and scientific rationality. The Evangelical revival further contributed to the decline, as a stricter moral code and an insistence on religious and social decorum led to an outright repudiation of Rousseau’s laxity, both in personal behavior and literary style. Despite this dominant trend of disapproval, the work also records a quiet, more reflective persistence of Rousseau’s influence. Figures like Hazlitt and, later, Ruskin acknowledged a profound, if conflicted, debt to the Genevese thinker. Hazlitt’s measured critique, which both lauded Rousseau’s revolutionary genius and condemned the consequences of his excesses, highlights the complexity of his impact. Ruskin’s later self-identification with Rousseau’s spirit, expressed in private reflections and public writings, illustrates the continuing, though subdued, undercurrent of Rousseau’s appeal among some of England’s most discerning critics. The work concludes by noting that the radical early fervor had been systematically replaced by a dismissive attitude, reinforced by the failure of Rousseau’s works to sustain popular and critical interest in the face of evolving literary tastes and stricter moral standards. A single, comprehensive monograph published later provided an academically rigorous treatment that, while it temporarily revived some interest, failed to alter the overall decline of Rousseau’s public reputation in England. Ultimately, the narrative charts a transition from widespread, almost fanatical, early admiration to a long-lasting skepticism and moral condemnation that defined the English reception of Rousseau throughout the century.

By Edmund Gosse · First published 1896 · Genre: Literary Criticism, Intellectual History, Cultural History · 9,077 words

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Burke, in his _Reflections on the Revolution in France_ (1790), although he called Rousseau an "eccentric observer of human nature," had not attempted to deny his penetration. He wrote of him, already without sympathy, as one who for the sake of playing upon that love of the marvellous which is inherent in man, desired extraordinary situations, "giving rise to new and unlooked-for strokes in politics and morals. " But he gave the Genevese philosopher credit for nothing worse than levity; he had raised up political and social paradoxes in the spirit in which a story-teller, eager to arouse the attention of an idle audience, evokes giants and fairies to satisfy the credulity of his hearers. And Burke has the indulgence to admit that, "I believe, were Rousseau alive, and in one of his lucid intervals, he would be shocked at the fanatical frenzy of his scholars, who. are servile imitators; and even in their incredulity discover an implicit faith."

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Nineteenth Century · Intellectual History · Cultural History · Literary Criticism · Political Thought · Philosophical Ideas · Cultural Exchange · European Thought · Romanticism · Historical Context · Ideas · Modernity

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