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Francois-Marie Arouet "Voltaire"

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Writings of Voltaire



Candide- Published in 1759, was a french satire during the age of enlightenment.



Henriade- Published in 1723, it was an epic poem in honor of the life of Henry IV of France.



God and Human Beings- written in 1769, it was and satire reflecting his life.

Philosophical background on Voltaire


 * Francios Marie Arouet, better known as his pen name "Voltaire", was born in the capital of France, on November 21, 1694 to a very wealthy family of 5.
 * His parents wanted him to be a lawyer, however, during his studies at the Jesuit college Louis-La-Gran, he found his love for philosophical works.
 * He left school at age 17 and soon made close friends with the Parisian aristocrats.
 * in 1717 he wrote a scathing satire of the French Governments. This lead to his sarcastic ways got him in trouble with authorities and he was imprisioned in the Bastille for eleven months
 * During his time of imprisonment, he wrote //Oedipe,// which came to be his first theatrical success. This was also where he got his pen name, "Voltaire"
 * However in 1726, Voltaire messed up again by insulting Chevalier De Rohan. He was given two options, Banishment or exile.
 * From 1726 to 1729, he lived in England practicing his writing.
 * During his time in England, he found much inspiration through other enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke and Rousseau.
 * He found interest in the English Constitutionality Monarchy and philosophical rationalism, which was the basis for his works during this time: //English Customs and// // Institutions. //
 * Shortly after its publishing, it was interpreted as criticism of the French government, so in 1734, Voltaire was forced to leave Paris again.
 * In 1736, Voltaire became good friends with “Marquise du Chatelet”, and eventually moved into her “Chateau de Cirey” near Luneville in eastern France. For seven years they studied the natural sciences and philosophical works.
 * In 1746, Voltaire was voted into the “Academie Francaise.”
 * In 1749, after the death of “Marquise du Chatelet” and at the invitation of the King of Prussia, “Frederick the Great,” he moved to Potsdam (near Berlin in Germany).
 * In 1753, Voltaire left Potsdam to return to France.
 * After becoming very wealthy over time, Voltaire was able to purchase an estate called "Ferney", near the French-Swiss border.
 * Voltaire worked continuously the years, producing a constant flow of books, plays and other publications. He wrote hundreds of letters to his of friends, past and present, being their voice of reason. Voltaire was often an outspoken critic of religious intolerance and persecution.
 * Finally when he returned to Paris at age 83 and was welcomed as a hero.
 * On May 30th, 1778, Voltaire died of natural causes.
 * Although he was a hero, his criticism of the church, he was denied burial in the Church of France. He was finally buried at an abbey in Champagne. In 1791, his remains were moved to a resting place at the Pantheon in Paris.



Candide- written in 1747

Candide is a young man living in the Castle of Baron in Westphalia. He gets caught kissing the Baron's daughter, Cunegonde, and is exiled from the castle(sound familiar?). Candide embarks on a series of journeys around the world in order to find Cunegonde. During this time he learns about honor and wisdom and relates it to his own life. The grand theme of the novel is the human condition. Candide wonders, what is the best way to approach life? In the story, Candide has been educated in the system of optimism. It is all he knows, but if Candide had been a monotonous enough character to accept optimism, the book would be without hope. Instead, Candide doubts the philosophy of optimism and eventually rejects it.

**Main Works** > > > > > > > >
 * History of Charles XII //(Histoire de Charles XII)// (1731), historical narrative critical of the devastation brought about by the military campaigns of the Swedish king Charles XII
 * Philosophical Letters //(Lettres philosophiques//) (1734), fictional letters demonstrating the benefits of religious tolerance; praise of John Locke and Empiricism; critique of Descartes and Pascal; concludes the purpose of life is not to reach heaven but to ensure human happiness through the practice and development of the arts and sciences
 * //Zadig// (1747), philosophical tale; Babylonian sage Zadig suffers persecution and misfortune and ends up doubting Providence
 * Vision of Babouc //(Vision de Babouc//) (1748), story attacking the philosophical optimism of Gottfried von Leibniz
 * The Century of Louis XIV //(Le Siècle de Louis XIV//) (1751), examination of arts, sciences, social life, military events, and politics during the age of Louis XIV; critical of the military disasters and religious persecution under the French king; also shows some admiration for the monarch
 * //Micromégas// (1752), a tale about the smallness of human beings when measured in a cosmic scale
 * //Essay on Manners (Essai sur les moeurs//) (1756), history of customs and morals since the end of the Roman Empire; interest in Eastern cultures; shows humanity evolving out of barbarity
 * //[|Candide]//(1759), philosophical tale of the misfortunes and eventual enlightenment of a naive young man named Candide who travels half the world following his beloved Cunégonde
 * //Philosophical Dictionary (Dictionnaire philosophique)// (1764), Voltaire's own encyclopedic compendium of knowledge.

WORK CITED:

Chew, Robin. "Lucidcafe:Voltaire." //Luncidcafe//. Literature Lovers on the World-Wide-Web, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 30 May 2011. .

Liukkonen, Petri. "Pseudomyn of Francois-marie Arouet." //Www.kirjasto.com//. Jonka Liukkonen, 2008. Web. 31 May 2011. .