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Jean-JacquesRousseau2.docx Surname 2 Name Professor Course Date Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions (Book I) The first book of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions represents a groundbreaking approach to autobiographical writing. Rousseau expresses his ambition through a declaration that states, “I have entered upon a performance which is without example, whose accomplishment will have no imitator” (Rousseau, Book 1). In his narrative, Rousseau presents his entire character, showing both admirable qualities and weaknesses without hiding anything. When the book starts, Rousseau states that he will provide an absolute truth about himself by writing, "I have concealed no crimes, added no virtues" (Rousseau, Book 1). Rousseau details his early life in full, which shows how his emotional nature developed during that period. Geneva served as his birthplace in 1712, where his father worked as a watchmaker alongside his mother, who possessed higher education. The death of his mother shortly after birth marked him deeply emotionally. He describes his father's enduring sadness by recounting their conversations about his mother: "When he said to me, 'Jean Jacques, let us talk of your mother,' my usual response was, 'Yes, father, but then, you know, we shall cry'" (Rousseau, Book 1). Rousseau presents his early emotional growth as a combination of losing his mother and feeling both tenderness and guilt. Throughout Book I, Rousseau focuses on his educational experiences from school and personal life. Rousseau learned how to read from his father, who used his mother's romance novels to share nightly reading sessions that generated strong emotions: "We soon found ourselves so interested in the adventures they contained, that we alternately read whole nights together" (Rousseau, Book 1). Through reading these stories, Rousseau developed a passion for literature, yet simultaneously acquired unrealistic heroism-related fantasies about life that reality could never change according to his own words (Rousseau, Book 1). Rousseau describes his early republican ideals and love of liberty as they developed through reading Plutarch's Lives. He says, "I was fired with these examples; could fancy myself a Greek or Roman" (Rousseau, Book 1). The early readings influenced his future political ideas, yet at the same time generated conflicting thoughts within him. He struggled to balance his idealistic views with the degrading experiences of his apprenticeship under cruel masters. Book I presents the primary psychological revelation about Rousseau's early disciplinary experiences and their complicated emotional impact. His memory of Miss Lambercier's spanking stands as one of his most important psychological recollections. Instead of feeling anger about the discipline he received, it strengthened his love for the disciplinarian. He writes, "This punishment increased my affection for the person who had inflicted it" (Rousseau, Book 1). Rousseau openly discusses the unusual sexual overtones of this incident, together with its impact on developing his emotional and sexual nature. The admission marks the beginning of Confessions because Rousseau chooses to reveal all aspects of his nature without omission or embellishment. After being wrongfully accused of breaking a comb, a significant dramatic moment shows his suffering. Rousseau kept silent about a crime he had not committed, even when the beatings continued. According to Rousseau, this experience left such a deep emotional impression that every comparable event continues to stir his feelings (Rousseau, Book 1). This experience instilled in him a permanent antipathy toward unjust authority, which then influenced both his personal development and his later revolutionary concepts. The hardships Rousseau faced did not diminish his strong dedication to nature, along with his love for friends and his desire to remain independent. Rousseau maintained a pure and affectionate spirit through his recollections of planting a tree at Bossey and his deep friendships. Rousseau acknowledges the event which brought an end to his innocent childhood state of peace (Rousseau, Book 1). The innocent period of his life ended prematurely, which led to the development of his later constant unrest. Overall, book I of Confessions reveals Rousseau as a person who combines sentimentalism with pride while feeling keenly about injustice and easily gets hurt, along with his intense idealistic nature. His project represents a revolutionary approach because he reveals both admirable conduct and the disgraceful and conflicting emotions of his past. Rousseau declares through his words, "Such as I was, I have declared myself" (Rousseau, Book 1). Through his honest and deep insights, Confessions became a masterpiece which established the foundation for contemporary autobiography. Works Cited Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau: Complete in 12 Books. Privately Printed for the Members of the Aldus Society, 1903. Retrieved From: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3913/3913-h/3913-h.htm English2331LiteraryResearchProject--SPR2025.docx Dr. Huston/ENGL 2331-F1-Spring 2025 2 English 2331 Literary Research Project Guidelines Reminder: Late assignments will not be accepted. Purpose: This project is intended to provide students with an opportunity to research and independently explore the life and ideas of a specific author and one of his or her literary works. Assignment Overview: Students will create a presentation on a selected author and work. The presentation will include biographical information along with an analysis of one work by this author. Students will view, explore, and discuss all presentations posted. Process: Follow these steps: 1--Select and sign up for one of the authors presented in the Literary Research Project Sign up list located inside of the Literary Research Project folder. Follow the directions provided in the Literary Research Project Sign up discussion forum. 2--Research and prepare your presentation. Note that the approximate number of slides for each element is listed next to it. Presentation’s Required Elements—Present this information in your presentation in this order: 1. A brief biography of the writer. If the work is anonymous (for example, Beowulf), give a brief history of the work. (1-2 slides) 2. A synopsis (brief summary) of the literary work. If you are focusing on a chapter or section of a longer work, you may present the overall ideas for the longer work but focus the summary particularly on the part of the literature you are analyzing. (1-2 slides) Note the literary work MUST be one that is listed in the assignment sign-up sheet and MUST be from The Norton Anthology of World Literature, 5th ed., vols. A, B, or C. Presentations that focus on a work not included in the list will not receive credit. 3. An analysis of the literary work. Develop the analysis thoroughly and use specific examples from the literary work to support your ideas. (3-5 slides) For the analysis, answer one (ONLY ONE) of these questions. Pick ONE: · Identify a theme that is evident in the work. How does the author develop the theme in the literary work? How does the author relate the theme to the time period? · Identify one or two literary devices (metaphysical conceit, metaphor, alliteration, symbolism, and so forth) evident in the piece of literature. How does the author use this literary device to unfold the ideas in the literary work? · Identify the genre the author uses to present the literary work. How does the author use the elements of this genre to develop the work? · Identify one cultural element evident in the work. How does the author incorporate and/or develop this element into the piece of literature? 4. A brief assessment of what this work or this author offers modern readers (1 slide). Your assessment will answer one of these questions: · What would a modern reader enjoy about this author’s ideas or the work you analyzed? · How might the author’s ideas be influential in society today? · What ideas do modern readers need to learn from this author? 5. A Works Cited list documenting the literary work and all outside sources (including the author’s headnote from the textbook if it is used) as the final slide or part of the presentation. (1-2 slides) NOTE: Each of these elements must be included to receive full credit for the assignment. * Create Your Presentation. You are encouraged to be creative in your presentation. You may use PowerPoint, a Prezi, or a video. [NOTE: DO NOT use Google documents or slide presentations. These do not upload appropriately into Brightspace. Use PowerPoint, MS Word, or Prezi only). If you create a PowerPoint, the presentation should consist of approximately 5 to 8 slides. Similarly, a Prezi should have 5 to 8 sections. A video will need to present approximately three to five minutes of information. * Prepare a slide for the Works Cited page. Be sure to use MLA documentation—No APA or other documentation style. This list must include the literary work being discussed and all resources used to create your presentation. Here is an example of the appropriate way to document a work from our textbook: Chekov, Anton. “The Lady with the Dog.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Post 1650, edited by Martin Puchner et al., 5th., eBook, vol. E, W. W. Norton, 2024, pp. 853-65. * Be sure to cite each source listed in the Works Cited on the slides of your presentation. To assist you with preparation of the Works Cited page and the in-text citations that must appear in the actual presentation, see the two handouts MLA Basics and More MLA, located in the Literary Research Project folder. Also, here are two links to other helpful resources for documenting and citing sources: OWL Purdue MLA Style Center CITE!—If you use any research on each slide, you MUST cite the source ON THE SLIDE. This means using parenthetical in-text citations for each source. Also, this includes citing when using visuals. Research Guidelines: For this assignment, use about three to five well prepared and accurately researched sources. Please note that Encyclopedia Britannica and other sources like this are NOT appropriate resources for this research project. Points will be deducted for use of minimal and/or substandard sources. Follow these guidelines to assure that you select appropriate, credible sources for your information: --These Dallas College databases— Academic Search Complete, JSTOR, Gale eBooks, and Literary Reference Center --Books or eBooks on the author or work --Credible online sources, for example, Poetry Foundation, The British Library, or author websites (i.e., The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust) --WARNING: DO NOT USE Wikipedia.org and sources with the domain “.com” because these are commercial sites and may be subjective. DO NOT use these sources. Visuals: You may include visuals in your slides or in your video. However, be sure to provide a label indicating a title and source for any visuals included. Also, you will need to include closed captioning if you create a video. (This is often an automatic feature on video composition apps.) Follow MLA guidelines for labeling visuals: MLA Guidelines for Providing Visual Captions Appropriate uses of AI for this assignment: Use of AI: For this assignment, you may use an AI or LLM tool (e.g., Chat GPT, Co-Pilot, Claude) for these activities only: Acceptable Uses --brainstorming ideas regarding the analysis portion of your selected literary work --inventing your focus for the ways the piece of literature might impact modern readers --determining keywords for your research --identifying grammatical errors but not correcting them (Do this yourself) Unacceptable Uses --writing the presentation rather than thinking your ideas through --using the tool for research—AI and LLMs are NOT research sources --running the presentation through to correct spelling and grammar errors --writing the whole presentation NOTE: Although AI and LLM tools are NOT research sources, you must document your use of AI in the Works Cited and in the essay. Here is what to include and an example: “Write the prompt used like a sentence” prompt. Cite the Tool, OpenAI, date, URL. “What literary devices might I find in Chekov’s short story ‘The Lady with the Dog.’” prompt. ChatGPT, OpenAI, 18 October 2024, www.openai.com/chatgpt. Reminder: Overreliance on an AI or LLM tool will result in the application of our course AI policy stated in the syllabus. Be sure to read and familiarize yourself with this policy. Questions?? If you have any questions about this Literary Research Project, please contact Dr. Huston immediately.