St. Augustine's "Confessions" and Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "Confessions"

St. Augustine's Confessions was autobiographical in a very different way that Rousseau's Confessions were autobiographical. St. Augustine's accounts all relate and lead up to his conversion and to the event in which he realizes that he can no longer live in a sinful state. Throughout his story his relation to God remains the most important and central idea. We as readers must read in between the lines at some points to figure out what is going on in Augustine's life. His conversion is the screen through which we view Augustine's life.

Rousseau's autobiography is completely different. He addresses his readers at the beginning and states his purpose in writing his Confessions. There is a sort of chronology that he follows (for the most part) beginning with his birth and boyhood and into adulthood. Interestingly, though, he jumps back in time in order to support a story he has already told. We, as readers, get a clearer understanding of Rousseau's story as well as his personality (compared to Augustine's story). Consequently, it is easier to view Rousseau's story as autobiography, even though in both Confessions, the author is also the protagonist and the narrator. It is also clear from their different styles that they were written for different purposes and with different readers in mind.