Yet they read Rousseau in droves, especially his blockbuster novel published in 1761, The New Heloise (La Nouvelle Héloïse). As its title implies, it is a modern retelling of the story of Abelard and Héloïse, involving the passionate love of a tutor for his underage female student in defiance of all social convention. Page follows page of sighing, longing prose and weepy outbursts of frustration interspersed with complaints about being misunderstood by adults and society. The New Heloise is like an extended episode of Gossip Girl. It is in fact the direct ancestor of the Harlequin romance, and
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