Jean-Jacques Rousseau Timeline and Summary

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• As a little kid in Geneva, Rousseau gets into all kinds of trouble with his cousin Bernard.
• The cousins are sent away to the village of Bossey to continue their education—more opportunities for mischief-making.
• Rousseau manages to lose himself several apprenticeships by being a lazybones.
• Not to fear—rich Mme de Warens takes Rousseau under her wing.
• Rousseau pretends to convert to Catholicism in order to improve his job prospects. It works, kind of. Rousseau gets a great job that he loses once his employer dies.
• Mme de Warens offers to have sex with Rousseau. Rousseau embarks on an affair with his patron that only ends when she dumps him for another man.
• Rousseau heads off to Italy to work for a Count.
• The Count accuses Rousseau of stealing, so he's outta there.
• Back in France, Rousseau meets future wife Therese. Wedding bells are ringing.
• Rousseau starts churning out literature right and left. His pride and joy is a comic opera, The Village Soothsayer.
• Mme d'Epinay offers Rousseau a place to stay while he's publishing away.
• Unfortunately, Rousseau gets involved with Mme d'Houdetot, an attached lady.
• Mme d'Epinay tattles on Mme d'Houdetot to the guy she's seeing, causing Rousseau to lose his lid.
• Rousseau moves out in a huff. All of his buddies side with Mme d'Epinay.
• Rousseau finds some new patrons: the Luxembourgs.
• The honeymoon doesn't last long. Rousseau publishes blasphemous material and gets chased out of Paris.
• He can't stay long in Switzerland, either.
• Finally, Rousseau lands in England.
• It's not so bad. He's got a couple of pals who are willing to listen to him read the entire volume of The Confessions. Now that's true love.