ABSTRACT
The immediate outcome of the conflict between Rousseau and the philosophes was the initiation of the literature of sincerity and authenticity that has absolutely nothing to do with Voltaire, the man most representative of the age, and everything to do with the literature of the nineteenth century and beyond. Accused of insincerity, Rousseau responded with his confessional writings, which set the pattern for authors of the future and forever altered the relationship between writer and public. D'Alembert's was the official rejoinder to Rousseau. Off the record Diderot was happy to encourage Jean-Jacques, his best friend, to give free vent to what appeared to be a rhetorical strategy to win a contest, or at worst was no more than a passing fancy for an extravagant position. The only compliment he paid Rousseau was to admit that the First Discourse was eloquently written; each time another of Rousseau's works appeared Grimm immediately singled out its eloquence for praise.
