Nath 16
Tara Nath
Mr. Youngs
AP English Literature
8 December 2014
From Rousseau to Franklin
The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, emphasized a preoccupation with self that spread across Europe and eventually to the United States. At a time of evolutionary thoughts, enlightenment philosophers, scientists, and authors questioned what were considered the normal practices of the time and did not hesitate to challenge what was commonly accepted. Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau gave way to a new, intellectual age that would influence others for centuries to come. The philosophies of the Enlightenment not only inspired monumental, enduring works such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, but also distinguished authors. This lasting influence can be seen by comparing Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau to the later Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Both are highly acclaimed and accredited autobiographies, commonly recognized as two of the greatest to date. Moreover, the themes, ideas, and principles presented in each autobiography are extremely similar; suggesting that Benjamin Franklin was influenced by Rousseau's Confessions.
Today, many individuals are familiar with Rousseau's Confessions which revolutionized the world of autobiographies. Before Rousseau, autobiographies were commonly works of self-explanation. Then, Rousseau "pioneered the special kind of preoccupation with the self that prevails everywhere today"(McGinley). This dramatically focused the meaning of autobiographies more towards self-documentation. Rousseau's Confessions focuses on the events in his life and his actions and emotions regarding those events in comparison to earlier autobiographies written and published as a way for an author to chronicle events and justify decisions in their lives. This dramatic innovation in the meaning of the literature forged the autobiography as it is known today (Rahn). Confessions touches on many dynamic topics that were pertinent during the mid 1700's that had not been discussed in the way Rousseau had ever before. He called attention to everything from friendships, fights and trouble with the public. This broad focus on more than just the positive aspects of Rousseau's life allowed the autobiography to be entertaining and informative to its readers; a combination not available before its publication. Literary critic, Harold Bloom, points out that "for literary power in self-representation, for originality in sensibility, for strength or influence upon what came after - for all of these, the Confessions are beyond comparison with any possible rival..." With this overarching power and influence of Confessions in mind, it makes one wonder how many individuals and authors were impacted by the autobiography.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a hallmark autobiography in the field of literature. Expert Francis Bowen states "Franklin's autobiography interests us, because it tells the whole story of his life, - his good and bad qualities, his failings and errors, and even those small vices which are more humiliating to confess than great sins." These distinctive aspects of Franklin's autobiography are what make it one of the most interesting in literature. Overall, Franklin was a renaissance man. This attribute comes across strongly in his autobiography where experts claim he has done much to increase and polish the general understanding of human nature and personal development(Bowen). Further topics covered in the work include the steps to attain wealth and happiness and what actions will result in vice and punishment. These sections and lessons continue to be relatable to readers now over 200 years later, further emphasizing the absolute influence of this timeless work.
Even though some may deem it easy to see the similarities between the autobiographies of Rousseau and Franklin, some critics say each work is entirely independent. Experts claim the only resemblance between the two authors is their startlingly similar backgrounds: both men were uneducated teenage runaways who were rebellious sons of the working class who just happen to now be considered the original apprentices. The shockingly similar pasts of the authors is claimed to account for many of the similarities in their autobiographies. Regarding the similarities in bluntness, critics contrast Franklin and Rousseau with the evidence that "the frankness of Rousseau's Confessions is all assumed; the writer is always acting a part, and is most theatrical when he affects to be most free from artifice. The simplicity of Franklin is that of a child; it wins out love rather than commands our admiration"(Bowen). Bowen expands and states that there are no similarities between their works. Bowen claims that Franklin's autobiography is so unique and memorable that there is no parallel to it in any language.
In contrast to the opinion of various critics, it can be seen through the points of focus and utilization of frank language in both Confessions and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin that the two autobiographies possess a multitude of similarities suggesting that Rousseau's autobiography influenced that of Franklin.
The first point of influence from Rousseau to Franklin can be seen in their focus on self development from childhood to adulthood. Rousseau states, "Such were the errors and faults of my youth. I have related the story of them with a fidelity that brings pleasure to my heart"(Bloom). Confessions concentrated on a new, central idea of the Enlightenment; the proposition that childhood is the “central formative period in life”(Reill). Rousseau embodied this new philosophy in the majority of Confessions by sharing childhood experiences such as learning to read and running away and explained how these actions lead to the development of his character. As literary expert Reill states, Rousseau intended to convey his "inner development" rather than chronicle his life story and world events. This autobiographical philosophy was not practiced before Rousseau implemented it in Confessions resulting in Confessions becoming an innovation in the realm of autobiographies. Expert Peter Abbs concurs by citing Rousseau's own statement as evidence:
To know a character well it is necessary to distinguish that which has been established by nature, to see how he has formed himself, what occasions have developed him, what sequence of secret affections has rendered him thus and how he has modified himself to produce on occasions the most contradictory and most unexpected results.
Rousseau establishes a brand new autobiographical structure focusing on inner development, a topic never previously explored in autobiographies. This direct quotation by Rousseau informs the reader of his thoughts and motives regarding how he wrote his work and his unique philosophy that he utilized to share the events in his entire life. According to Rousseau, one only has the ability to find themselves if they look at their lives independent of the world around them and to know the difference between what is in one’s control and what is not. Only at that point of self-discovery is it possible to come close to understanding what the human self truly is. This is the key and central idea of Confessions that makes it stand apart from other autobiographies that came before it.
Similarly, Franklin also disconnects himself and his feeling from those of the outside world and people around him to focus on his developmental process from childhood to adulthood. Expert Suanna Davis claims that instead of Franklin's autobiography covering the current events of his era (the Revolutionary War), he "provides perspectives" of events that he encountered that influenced his personal development. Critic Francis Bowen concurs with her statement. "He writes the private history not only of his actions, but of his thoughts..." Franklin shared the influence of events on his life through conveying his thoughts and how he reacted to and grew from the matter at hand, rather than simply chronicling these events. The language utilized by Franklin closely resembles that of Rousseau; the focus is to be on personal development, not the outside world. Franklin also shares his personal development throughout his life by means of his thirteen virtues introduced in his autobiography. These virtues include humility, moderation, sincerity, and resolution to name a few. These are the central principles of his personal development that can be applied by others to help them also improve their lives. This focus on Franklin's personal development through childhood and his philosophy on life closely parallels the purpose of Confessions. Both autobiographies centered around the same theme of personal development. Considering Rousseau had just pioneered this autobiographical quality and received tremendous positive feedback, it is easily deduced that Franklin was influenced by the style and influence of Rousseau's work and wanted his, too, to reflect a similar message with a similar scope of influence.
The second point of similarity between Confessions and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is both men's focus on the pursuit of bettering themselves throughout their lives despite their wrongdoings. In Confessions, Rousseau tracks his life on the basis of bettering himself. He points out on various occasions what he has done erroneously, and explains how he could have approached a situation that could have resulted in a different and more desirable outcome. Abbs cites Rousseau's direct statement in Confessions:
I will fulfill rigorously my titles and never the most fearful nun will make a more rigorous examination of conscience than I prepare for myself. Never will she reveal more scrupulously to her confessor all the innermost recesses of her soul that I am going to display to the public:...I am saying here things about myself which are very odious and of which I have a horror of wishing to excuse myself, but also it is the most secret history of my soul.
Here, Rousseau is admitting that he did not live a perfect life; he committed sins and acted against his better judgment. Main examples of his since are included in his accounts of his sex life, thefts, and in the abandonment of his children(Reill). However, in Confessions he wishes to share these misdeeds with his readers as to show how he was able to pursue a lofty and esteemed life despite these mistakes, teaching the reader that they too can overcome negative decisions. By sharing how he was able to recover from these errors in judgment he gave his autobiography a quality that allows it to continue as applicable to readers today.
Likewise, Franklin also shares of his faults and uses them as applicable lessons for achieving personal growth. Critic Francis Bowen describes The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin as a "picture of the pursuit of knowledge, fame, and fortune, under difficulties, and an instructive manifestation of the workings of character." This description is accurate upon looking into what topics were discussed in the work. Franklin claims that the, "hard-to-be-governed passion of youth had hurried me frequently into intrigues with low women that fell my way, which were attended with some expense and great inconvenience, besides a continual risk to my health by a distemper"(Franklin 94). This direct quotation by Franklin allows the reader to see that he, similar to Rousseau, did not live a perfect life. He committed sins that he was ashamed of. However, he, like Rousseau, uses those past faults to show the reader how he learned from those events, and how he was not proud of those past fallacies in judgment. This similarity between not being afraid to share their past wrongdoings and using those instances as points where a lesson can be learned show yet another similarity between the autobiographies of Rosseau and Franklin and another autobiographical trait Franklin learned from Rousseau's trendsetting Confessions.
The culminating similarity between Rousseau and Franklin's autobiographies is the emphasis on truth. Throughout Confessions, Rousseau does not censor moments in his life, he makes even the most intimate details available to his readers. This willingness to be entirely truthful despite the possibility of serious repercussions did not exist before Rousseau. Other autobiographical authors did not have the same originality with sensibility, or in Rousseau's case, lack thereof (Bloom). Bloom supports this claim with Rousseau's own words:
I must leave nothing unsaid. I have never concealed my poor Mamma's vices or my own...However warm a pleasure I take in honouring a person who is dear to me, I still do not wish to disguise [his or her] faults...
Rousseau's outright statement informs the reader that it does not matter how embarrassing or corrupt his faults are, they will not be excluded from his text; he will state everything in a frank and open manner as to convey the absolute truth. As the title suggests, Rousseau wishes to confess his sins and share his experiences with an unconditional truth so that others may see the unabridged version of every detail of his interesting life.
Consonantly, Franklin also centralizes the focus of his autobiography on the entire truth of his life. Franklin utilizes a simplicity and fullness of language throughout his work that is understood by all ages(Bowen). This fullness and simplicity of his language is the same characteristic that allows him to be completely honest when depicting questionable events in his life. Bowen again supports this claim with the statement, "The writer keeps back nothing; he mentions his past errors and occasional lapses from virtue with the same delightful simplicity and frankness that mark the account of the more honorable portions of his life..." Franklin's willingness to be downright honest throughout the course of his autobiography despite the topic at hand parallels the absolute honesty of Rousseau throughout Confessions. Both men wrote bluntly despite the subject; neither hid the truth from their pages. Instead, they laid it all out for everyone to see. Everything from courtships, family issues, and the struggles of growing up were discussed in a matter-of-fact tone that showcased the truth of their stories without hesitation or apology (Bowen). This rare quality of autobiographies allows the reader to connect with the author more; they are not trying to learn from a "perfect" individual that authors are made out to be in other previous autobiographies. This practice was not established or followed until Rousseau authored his Confessions. Soon thereafter, Franklin wrote his autobiography with the same frankness as Rousseau, again seemingly influenced by the truth conveyed in Confessions.
Through the comparison of personal development, self-betterment, and absolute truth presented in Rousseau's Confessions and in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, it can be seen that Franklin was influenced by Rousseau's autobiographical work. Fundamentally, Rousseau establishes the autobiography as we know it today. Bloom states that Confessions is unique beyond comparison with any other autobiographical work that came before it "for literary power in self-representation, for originality in sensibility, for strength of influence upon what came after..." This claim further supports the widely accepted truth that Rousseau developed the autobiography as it is known today and continues to influence both individuals and authors beyond his own time. This timeless and powerful work was a main source of influence for the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Upon comparing the distinctive properties of both autobiographies; the life-long personal development, the detailed pursuit of self betterment, and the focus on conveying the entire truth, one can see that Franklin encompassed autobiographical characteristics in his work used before him only by Rousseau. Consequently, it can be concluded that Benjamin Franklin was influenced by new autobiographical trends established in Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau when authoring his own autobiography.