La Nouvelle Héloïse: Julie, or the New Eloise : Letters of Two Lovers, Inhabitants of a Small Town at the Foot of the Alps - Softcover

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0271006021 ISBN 13: 9780271006024

Publisher: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1987

Synopsis

This landmark of the romantic movement not only greatly influenced the taste and morality of the eighteenth-century reading public but was also one of the most seminal and widely read literary works of its day. Seventy-two editions of the novel in French appeared between 1761 and 1800, and though Voltaire called its success one of the infamies of the century. It won for Rousseau a place beside the author of Candide as a director of European thought. The plot of the novel is one familiar to all literature; that of a fallen and regenerated woman. The first three parts are devoted to the celebration of the passionate, mutual love of Saint-Preux and Julie; the last three praise Julie's return to virtue as a faithful wife and dedicated mother. Professor McDowell's translation is precise but natural and conveys to the reader the distinctive flavor of Rousseau's style.

About this title

About the Author:

Judith McDowell is Professor of English at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Review:

“McDowell's translation is literally faithful and direct but shows judicious idiomatic license in places where Rousseau's style or the requirements of the English phrase impose options, on the translator. . . . The average reader will thank McDowell for eliminating some of Rousseau's verbose, repetitive digressions. A perceptive introduction offers valuable insights on the novel's importance and Rousseau's style.”

—Choice

About this edition

• Publisher: The Pennsylvania State University Press
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0271006021
• ISBN 13: 9780271006024
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432