Rousseau: Emile
06/07/2021
Emile, or On Education (French: ) is a 1762 work by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, describing the education of its eponymous hero from infancy to manhood.
This proved to be a powerful device for expounding Rousseau's ideas about human nature. The work was banned in France and Geneva because of the heterodox religious views expressed in the section known as The Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar.
A different source of controversy emerged from Book V describes the education of Sophie, a girl who is intended to be Emile's companion, and whose upbringing is largely directed towards that end. The strong critical response from women writers such as Mary Wollstonecraft was itself a reflection of the influence that Emile acquired in educational thought.
Emile at online book stores
Amazon | bookshop.org (US) | Bookshop.org (UK)
Free online texts
English translations
Gutenberg: Emile, translated by Barbara Foxley. EPUB, HTML, MOBI and TXT formats.
Internet Archive: Emilius and Sophia - Vol I | Vol II | Vol III | Vol IV. Anonymous 18th Century translation. PDF, EPUB, Kindle and other formats.
Internet Archive: Emile, abridged translation by William H. Payne. PDF, EPUB, Kindle and other formats.
French texts
Wikisource: Émile, ou De l’éducation, multiple editions. HTML and other formats.
Other Resources
Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar, in English translation. Harvard Classics edition. HTML format.
Librivox: Emile, translated by Barbara Foxley. Public domain audiobook.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Jean Jacques Rousseau.
Wikipedia: Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Emile, or On Education
Further reading
Bloom's Western Canon: Emile is listed.
John Locke: Some Thoughts Concerning Education
Rousseau: The Social Contract
Mary Wollstonecraft: A Vindication of the Right's of Women - strongly criticises Rousseau's ideas about the education of women.
French Language resources
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