A Few Fun Facts About Rousseau...
As a young man, Rousseau contributed to the creation of the Encyclopedia (by Denis Diderot) by writing a number of entries on musical subjects.
In the first 'Discourse' of 1750, Rousseau argued for the banning of theatre and music. He thought that the arts damaged people’s morality. This is pretty ironic considering the fact that he had written operas (Le Devin du Village, 1745) and had written musical articles.
By writing Confessions, (about his regrets, secrets, desires) another one of his texts, Rousseau 'invented' modern autobiography. He was one of the first to write about his private life.
He and Denis Diderot didn't only work on The Encyclopedia together, they also created a group of philosophes called, 'Philosophes'.
He met his first love (Maman de Warrens), and the mother to one of his children while he was fleeing from Geneva.