Why was Julie; or, The New Eloise more successful during Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s lifetime than The Social Contract?

During Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s lifetime, Julie; or, The New Eloise (1761) achieved significantly greater success and popularity than The Social Contract (1762) primarily because of its form and emotional resonance.1

As a novel, The New Eloise was able to bypass the strict censorship that targeted Rousseau’s more controversial political and educational treatises. While The Social Contract and Émile scandalized religious and political authorities—leading to the burning of the books and the author's forced exile—the novel was widely read and praised.1

The New Eloise profoundly influenced the spirit of its age by championing the Romantic movement’s emphasis on feeling, sensibility, and the "wisdom of the heart" over cold rationalism. Its exploration of passionate, forbidden love and domestic happiness resonated deeply with the reading public, particularly educated women, earning Rousseau many admirers even as his political works made him powerful enemies among magistrates and priests.123