The Candide By The French Enlightenment - 1377 Words

In the novel Candide by the French Enlightenment writer and philosopher, Voltaire, the use of satire is highly prevalent. Voltaire took many of the follies and views he disagreed with during the Enlightenment and satirized them in this highly unrealistic and exaggerated novel. The events throughout the novel, even if they have some connections or roots in historical events, are seemingly preposterous and embellished because of Voltaire’s heavy use of satire. However, Voltaire merely uses these embellishments to accomplish his critique of certain parts of Enlightenment thinking that he believed were foolish or incorrect. One of Voltaire’s main uses of satire is his satirization of the philosophical optimism held by some Enlightenment philosophers. For example, the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, who is mentioned briefly in the novel by the character Pangloss, is actually where the term ‘best of all worlds’ originates from (Voltaire, 139-140 ). Voltaire uses the main, and title, character Candide to satirize the foolishness of philosophical optimism by having Candide go through so many hardships to prove this to readers. The Enlightenment was a great shift in thinking and in part was inspired by the scientific revolution and lead to many great advancements (Lecture, 9/10/14). Great thinkers and philosophers revolutionized the way the population, regardless of class, thought about various aspects of life. From politics to religion-new ideas and ways of thinkingShow MoreRelatedVoltaire s Candide : The Enlightenment And The Intellectual Spearhead Of The French Revolution1118 Words   |  5 Pages Inspired by the bold ideas that coincided with the French enlightenment, writer Franà §ois-Marie Arouet, more popularly known as Voltaire, wrote Candide, published in January of 1789 in Paris, France by Sirà ¨ne. Voltaire became known as the â€Å"fountainhead of the Enlightenment and the intellectual spearhead of the French Revolution†Ã‚ ² with his bold ideas that challenged society’s way of thinking. This satire was written during the Enlightenment period and demonstrated Voltaire’s criticisms toward theRead More Essay on Voltaire’s Candide: A Typical Enlightenment Work671 Words   |  3 PagesCandide as a Typical Enlightenment Work      Ã‚  Ã‚   Candide on the surface is a witty story. However when inspected deeper it is a philippic writing against people of an uneducated status. Candide is an archetype of these idiocracies, for he lacks reason and has optimism that is truly irking, believing that this is the best of all possible worlds. Thus Voltaire uses a witty, bantering tale on the surface, but in depth a cruel bombast against the ignoramuses of his times.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CandideRead MoreCandide : A Reflection Of The Enlightenment1325 Words   |  6 Pages Candide: A Reflection of the Enlightenment Francois-Marie Arouet, otherwise known as Voltaire was an 18th century French philosopher and writer during the Enlightenment period. Voltaire’s most famous work of literature; Candide follows a young man who grows up in a Baron’s castle (Castle Thunder-ten-tronckh), under the instruction of Dr. Pangloss, a tutor and philosopher who worships optimism even under extreme circumstances. Throughout Voltaire’s novel, Candide and his companions encounter aRead MoreA Summary On Voltaire s Candide 1496 Words   |  6 PagesJason Ross 2/15/16 David Morroe History 185 C02195103 Pre-draft Candide Voltaire known as French Enlightenmen, author, historian and a theorist. Franà §ois-Marie Arouet was born on November 21, 1694. He was so weak when being born and not expected to live Marguerite Daumard and Francois Arouet were his parents. As a student, he was an inspiration young man. He was close with his mother, and sister. Voltaire had an uneasy relationship with his father, who depressed his literature desire and triedRead MoreAnalysis Of Candide And The Pen Name Of The Frenchman 1464 Words   |  6 PagesCameron Donald Candide Book Critique Candide was written by Voltaire, the pen name of the Frenchman, Franà §ois-Marie Arouet, and was first published by Gabriel Cramer in Geneva during early 1759 . This book was assigned by our teacher because it expresses the beliefs of Voltaire who was a prominent thinker during the Enlightenment Age in Europe. Such thinkers held various philosophical beliefs which were a major cause of social change at the time. This ties in perfectly with our class’s current unitRead MoreVoltaire s View Of Candide1511 Words   |  7 Pages Voltaire s Candide is a satirical work written in 1759 as a commentary during the Enlightenment. One of Voltaire s most famous works, it also functioned to reflect Voltaire s opinions. Candide is considered Voltaire s signature work in which he levels his sharpest criticism against nobility, philosophy, the church, and human cruelty. Though often considered a representative text of the Enlightenment era, the novel criticizes a number of Enlightenment philosophies. As reading and books wereRead MoreVoltaire And His Candide - Voltaire s Candide1211 Words   |  5 PagesVoltaire and his Candide Introduction Voltaire is the leader of the French Enlightenment, he enjoyed high prestige in the enlightenment movement. His life was spent in against the feudal regime system and the reactionary forces of the church (Gorbatov, 2006). Voltaire was knowledgeable, he had many works (including philosophy, history, literature, science, etc., throughout his literary creation, the most valuable was his philosophical novels (Sutcliffe, 2000). These novels maintained the vitalityRead MoreThe Influence of Voltaires Philosophical Works on the French Revolution1128 Words   |  5 Pagesthe French Revolution The philosophical works of Voltaire, such as Candide, influenced the beginning of the French Revolution, promoting new ideas and concepts. Voltaire used both wit and sarcasm to prove his points against injustice and cruelty. Voltaire was exiled to England for many years, and while there, he became influenced by the English government systems, associated himself with Sir Isaac Newton, John Locke, and Sir Francis Bacon. Voltaire wrote many well known works, but Candide is theRead MoreVoltaire and The Enlightenment1142 Words   |  5 Pages The eighteenth century was a crucial changing point in the European history because of The Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was revolutionary because of Voltaire, a writer that used his ideas to attack the established Catholic Church, and to propagate the freedom of religion, scientific thoughts, skepticism and experiential philosophy. Voltaire was born in 1694, a year that was under the regiment of Louis XIV. At that time, the aristocracy ruled France in an extreme way that most commoners wereRead MoreImpact Of Enlightenment Ideas On The French Revolution844 Words   |  4 Pages How Enlightenment Ideas Impacted the French Revolution? Towards the end of the 18th century, almost all of Europe had gone through a period called the Enlightenment. Enlightenment thinkers, and philosophers, promoted reason and human freedom over tradition and religion. France had one of the bloodiest Enlightenment periods in history because they used the ideas of John Lockes Natural Rights, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Social Contract, and Voltaire (Franà §ois-Marie Arouet) teaching of Freedom