Essay Voltaire - 549 Words

Voltaire The building blocks of the Enlightenment were formed out of a desire for truth, reason, and freedom – virtually contingent upon the last. An examination of Voltaire’s Candide and La Feyette’s Princess of Cleves, both well recognized pieces of the period, exemplify two views of freedom, the first based on its use in moderation and the latter making it a relative term. Relative freedom meaning it is correspondent to one’s social, economic, and religious place with in society. In Candide, the main character’s own freedom and ability to make decisions is rather dangerous too not only himself but to others as well. Freedom to choose to dedicate his life to a relentless pursuit of his dear Cunegonde led to not only her†¦show more content†¦Her way of life is according to the virginal, puritan values of her mother. The princess’s gender, along with the time period addressed in this novella, limit her freedom. The few liberties she is l eft with only lead to her unhappiness and that of the two men in her life. The princess makes a free decision to confess â€Å"such as no woman has ever made to her husband† of her forbidden passions for another man (125). Her freedoms only haunt her and leave her alone in the end. It causes the death of her beloved husband and the solitude of both her and the Duke. Accompanying the negative outcomes, there are many restraints place on the degree to which the freedom extends. When feeling overwhelmed with her surrounding society Madame de Cleves must ask her husband if she may remain where they live as the court continues onward. Her one effort to temporarily escape from the â€Å"bustle of the court† is questioned by another person, pure evidence of the circumstantial freedom she is allowed. Along with her husband’s powers, while her mother was alive, she held on to a portion of Madame de Cleves’ freedom. Her mother and society built the rules an d morals she lived by, none of which were her own. When confronted with the affliction between her husband and the man she truly loves, her mother merely reminds her to think of â€Å"what [she] owes [her] husband† and to â€Å"remember that [she] is in danger of losing thatShow MoreRelated Voltaire760 Words   |  4 Pages Voltaire was a talented, assertive, and controversial French writer from the eighteenth century enlightenment period. He was born in 1694 to a wealthy family in Paris, and given the name Francois-Marie Arouet. During the early years of his life Voltaire endured many hardships. For instance, his mother passed away when he was seven leaving only his father and older brother to raise him. Unfortunately, this added insult to injury as Voltaire despised both his father and brother. NeverthelessRead MoreVoltaire s Candide By Voltaire2264 Words   |  10 Pages Candide by Voltaire Book Critique Emma Joy Mr. Boni World History 2- Period 2 12/19/14 I. Voltaire. Candide. New York: Bantam Books, 1959. Candide by Voltaire is a very educational and informative piece. It was chosen to be read so the students could gain a better understanding of some of the written pieces in the Enlightenment. Voltaire also makes many references as to what life was like in the 18th century. Voltaire not only describes the scenery but he gives a description ofRead MoreVoltaire s View Of Voltaire1213 Words   |  5 PagesVoltaire was an enlightenment provider who wrote many play and books. He was a famous writer, who made a lot of money and he wanted money. So everything he accomplished, he did because he thought people are going to buy for him to be rich. One of his most famous is the story of Candide in which he wrote to be entertained. The book is a satire in which Voltaire in some way criticizes the institutions, and the people. Although Voltaire’s societies had many advances, this made him criticize differentRead MoreVoltaire2028 Words   |  9 Pagescollection of written documents tha t Voltaire wrote between 1726 and 1729 on his experiences he had while staying in England. After its publication in French in 1734, many people of French ethnicity saw it as a bashing of the French government, and even a little bit on the Catholic religion. Voltaire does seem to be fairly favorable towards the English in his letters, which is understandable after he was exiled in his homeland of France multiple times. In many cases Voltaire saw in England what he wishedRead MoreCandide by Voltaire948 Words   |  4 Pagesbeliefs of an opposing philosopher of the Enlightenment period . But perhaps the most powerful of his satires in his novel is on religion. Voltaire believes in God, but rather a forceful disapproval of religion. He believes that all people should serve God in their own way instead of being told how to believe God through religious officials. The first example of Voltaire mocking religion is after Candide leaves the castle of Baron Von Thunder Ten Tronckh of West phalia. Devastated by the loss of his relationshipRead 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 MoreCandide by Voltaire847 Words   |  3 Pagesenlightenment thinkers and philosophers. Voltaire demonstrates three different enlightenment thoughts or views in his work: anti-feudalism, optimism, and the hypocrisy of the Christian church. Perhaps the most common and well-known characteristic of the Enlightenment was anti-feudalism. Philosophers during the Enlightenment advocated against the separation of the nobility from the other social classes and tried to obtain equality among all human beings. In Candide Voltaire writes about the outlandish actionsRead MoreVoltaire and The Enlightenment1142 Words   |  5 PagesThe 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 were struggling in poverty. From a middle-class family, Voltaire did not like the political environment of FranceRead MoreThe Age Of Enlightenment By Voltaire1572 Words   |  7 Pages1. Do some research on Voltaire and his beliefs as well as the era in which he wrote, which was the Age of Enlightenment. Be sure to cite your sources of information. The Age of Enlightenment occurred from the 1620s until the 1780s. This movement began in England, and steadily spread almost worldwide before long. The term Enlightenment was used to contrast the Dark Ages, a time in which innovation and free-thinking was at an all-time low. Voltaire’s French philosophy included free-thinking andRead MoreLetters on England by Voltaire1134 Words   |  5 Pagessmall collection of letters written by Voltaire (born Franà §ois-Marie Arouet) in 1733 which offers a survey of societal England from the view of a Frenchmen. The original Letters on England, titled Lettres philosophiques, was written in English by Voltaire. This first edition was quite a cumbersome read and so in 1980 Leonard Tancock retranslated the book to English from a previous French edition. Just a few years prior to the release of Letters on England, Voltaire had been imprisoned by France and