As we all know, Jean-Jacques Rousseau is one of the Fathers of the Enlightenment, the period that gave birth to modern philosophy, and one of the leaders of the French Revolution. However, he also accomplished many other things that aren't really talked about in our History books. Today, we will present five of those facts to you, so you can impress your family and friends.
1. He basically wrote the first autobiography
Yes, his book Confessions is considered the first autobiography in History since it treats about his personal experience. He really did spill the tea on many deep private details of his life to help support his philosophy, something that wasn't really done before. After him, many celebrities wrote their own autobiography as a tribute more than for sharing ideas like Rousseau did.
2. He secretly helped writing the Encyclopédie
Indeed, in this famous book written by Denis Diderot, Rousseau put a hand on many entries in it about musical subjects. Yup, he really loved music and he even wrote his own opera called Le Devin du Village.
3. He tried to get his musical work in the Académie
In fact, since he loved music and was in desperate need of money, Rousseau tried to present a new numbered musical notation system to the Académie des Sciences in Paris. Unfortunately for him, his idea got rejected.
4. He had a secret son
After an encounter with a seamstress, she was pregnant and gave birth to a son. However, he abandoned him because he didn't think he would be a good father because his mom died during birth and his dad abandoned him at the age of 10.
5. He's very open about sexuality
Indeed, he wasn't afraid to tell his readers about his sexual fantasies and experiments in his book Confessions. He dedicated chapters of his book about masturbation. He also loved getting spanked, to the point of going in the streets chasing women around butt naked. A little weird...
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