Eloisa : or, A series of original letters by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 1712-1778

About this eBook

Author	Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 1712-1778
Translator	Kenrick, W. (William), 1725?-1779
Uniform Title	La nouvelle Héloïse. English
Title	Eloisa : or, A series of original letters
Original Publication	London: Griffiths, Becket, and DeHondt, 1761.
Note	Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie%3B_or,_The_New_Heloise
Credits	Veronica Litt and Subyeta Haque from scans generously made available by Gale Cengage.
Summary	Eloisa: or, A series of original letters is the first English translation of Julie, ou La Nouvelle Heloise by the Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Written in letters, Eloisa concerns the forbidden love between a middle-rank tutor named St. Preux and his aristocratic student, the titular Eloisa. As different characters comment on the interclass romance, the novel examines prescient topics such as social rank, premarital sex, women's autonomy, and the definition of virtue. Prefatory materials include a meta-fictional dialogue wherein Rousseau debates the moral merit of his novel as well as a translator's note and a contemporary review by a Parisian journal. The novel is then structured as four volumes. The first and second volumes valorize the passionate young lovers, who are ultimately compelled to part. The third and fourth volumes revisit the characters years later. Eloisa has become a devoted wife and mother, while St. Preux has taken to the sea. They reunite at Eloisa's country manor and, through the case study of Eloisa's household, propose a unique vision of domestic bliss. The novel's surprising and controversial ending prompts readers to grapple with its central themes and questions.
Reading Level	Reading ease score: 62.6 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Language	English
LoC Class	PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Subject	Alps Region -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction
Category	Text
eBook-No.	76639
Release Date	Aug 6, 2025
Copyright	Public domain in the USA.
Downloads	87636 downloads in the last 30 days.

Original page: gutenberg.org/ebooks/76639