How did Samuel Richardson, Laurence Sterne, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau influence Romanticism through fiction?

Samuel Richardson, Laurence Sterne, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were instrumental in shaping the transition from 18th-century rationalism toward the emotional and subjective focus of Romanticism through their contributions to the novel.

The Sentimental Foundation

The "sentimental" works of Richardson and Sterne prepared the romantic approach to life by prioritizing emotional sensitivity and personal response over strict reason.12

• Samuel Richardson: His novels, such as Pamela, introduced a new moral seriousness and psychological depth to fiction. By utilizing the epistolary form, he captured the "fluctuations of the heroine’s consciousness," allowing readers to experience intense, immediate empathy.3
• Laurence Sterne: Sterne’s fiction, particularly A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy, explored the interdependence of sentimental and erotic feelings. His work influenced a generation of writers to focus on the subjective nature of experience and the limitations of language.4

Rousseau’s Influence

Jean-Jacques Rousseau brought these trends to their first major fulfillment, acting as a primary intellectual precursor to the movement. He championed the free expression of emotion, the "cult of nature," and the importance of individual conscience over external authority. His sentimental novel Julie; ou, la nouvelle Héloïse and his autobiographical Confessions emphasized introspection and the power of feeling, themes that became central to Romantic literature.125