“This book is a tour de force, carefully argued, erudite, beautifully written, and strikingly original. It offers a new understanding about an idea that is almost a cliché for historians of the French Revolution—that Rousseau’s political writings somehow ‘caused’ the revolution. Swenson problematizes this causality . . . by looking at Rousseau’s entire oeuvre.”—Joan Scott, Institute for Advanced Study
“Recent emphasis on the political culture of the French Revolution has renewed interest in the relationship between the Revolution and the Enlightenment, including the importance of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. James Swenson’s fascinating study contributes to this discussion.”—Canadian Journal of History