Reveries of a Solitary Walker

Reveries of a Solitary Walker (or Reveries of the Solitary Walker, French title: Les Rêveries du promeneur solitaire) is an unfinished book by French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, written between 1776 and 1778. It was the last of a number of works composed toward the end of his life which were deeply autobiographical in nature. Previous elements in this group included The Confessions and Dialogues: Rousseau Judge of Jean-Jacques. The book is... more

Reveries of a Solitary Walker (or Reveries of the Solitary Walker, French title: Les Rêveries du promeneur solitaire) is an unfinished book by French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, written between 1776 and 1778. It was the last of a number of works composed toward the end of his life which were deeply autobiographical in nature. Previous elements in this group included The Confessions and Dialogues: Rousseau Judge of Jean-Jacques. The book is divided into ten chapters called Walks. The Eighth Walk and Ninth Walk were completed, but not revised by Rousseau, and the Tenth Walk was incomplete at Rousseau's death. The first publication was in 1782. The content of the book is a mix of autobiographical anecdote, descriptions of the sights, especially plants, that Rousseau saw in his walks around Paris, and elaborations and extensions of arguments previously made by Rousseau in fields like education and political philosophy. less