"There are many philosophical exegeses of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. John T. Scott’s Rousseau’s Reader is something different. It is closer to literary analysis than philosophical exegesis, not because Scott is primarily interested in literary analysis, but rather because he believes that attending to Rousseau’s literary and rhetorical strategy can deepen our substantive understanding of Rousseau’s philosophical system."
 

The Review of Politics

“A remarkable book. Many have examined Rousseau’s literary style and rhetoric, as well as his efforts at what Rousseau himself is prone to call ‘persuasion,’ but Scott goes well beyond, focusing on the interaction between author and reader, and, specifically, the techniques Rousseau uses to educate his reader. Scott does all readers of Rousseau a great service in showing exactly how the arguments and what might be called the ‘literary action’ of Rousseau’s writings work together towards a common goal."

Ryan Patrick Hanley, Boston College

"[A] remarkable new book... that proposes a wide range of original analyses on issues that have too often been neglected. There is little to criticize in the impeccable research proposed here. It is sure to become a lasting reference in Rousseau’s scholarship."

Perspectives on Politics

"Rousseau’s Reader may have been written primarily with a professional audience in mind, yet its relevance to the political world in the year of its publication could not have escaped its author. John T. Scott is to be thanked for this in-depth study, which can be read with profit by the lay reader as well as to the professional philosopher."

The Review of Metaphysics

“Rousseau’s Reader takes a productively fresh look at the major works that comprise Rousseau’s system and has important new things to say that are sure to impact virtually every major scholarly dispute.”

Christopher J. Kelly, coeditor of The Rousseauian Mind

"In his remarkable new book, Rousseau’s Reader, John T. Scott imports this idea into the field of political theory to shine new light on Rousseau’s political thought."

Political Theory