Francois Marie Arouet (he would later take the name Voltaire) was born November 21, 1694 as a sickly child who was not expected to live. His father was a rather prosperous lawyer, and was determined that, should he live, his son ought to study law. Thus Voltaire was enrolled in 1704 in the Jesuit College of Louis-Le-Grande. Remaining at the College until his seventeenth year, Voltaire excelled in academics and won much acclaim, while simultaneously receiving a sound liberal education and developing his ability to write. The Jesuits were well known for their production of theatre in Latin, and Voltaire received a great deal of theatrical education that would serve him later in life.
Voltaire began moving in aristocratic circles and writing; this was wholly unacceptable to his father, who feared he was neglecting his legal studies and becoming increasingly liberal, forced him to leave Paris for Holland. However, there Voltaire fell for a young Protestant woman. His father, taking issue with her religion, forced him to return to Paris in 1713. His reputation as a writer of satire and prose was already forming, and so when two offensive and libelous works (Puerto Regnanto and J'ai vu) appeared, he was accused of being the author and imprisoned in 1716 for 11 months.
While in prison, Voltaire completed his play Œdipe, based upon the great work by Sophocles, and also begin his L' Hernriade, an epic poem celebrating the works of Henry IV of France. It is around this time that he took the name de Voltaire, the aristocratic de believed by many to indicate his ambitious desires. This ambition was well-founded: Œdipe enjoyed a 45-day run and brought Voltaire great acclaim. Believed by many to be jealous of Voltaire's success, the arrogant Chevalier de Rohan verbally attacked Voltaire.
Voltaire challenged him to a duel, and in response the Chevalier had him imprisoned in the Bastille for two weeks. Upon his release, he was exiled to England. Welcomed by both Whigs and Tories alike, the England from 1726-29 was particularly well-enjoyed by Voltaire. Here he enjoyed the company of such grates as Swift and Thomson, and befriended Alexander Pope. Becoming proficient in English, Voltaire read Shakespeare, Bacon, Milton, Newton, and Locke.
To test his English literary ability, Voltaire published an English version of La Henriade (The Henriad), an eloquent defense of religions toleration, and dedicated it to the Queen.
François-Marie Arouet, better known by his pseudonym Voltaire, was born into a well situated family in Paris, France in 1694. Voltaire’s father was a successful lawyer, but Voltaire had a difficult relationship with his father. He was educated at the Jesuit College Louis-le-Grand from 1704 to 1711. During his college years, Voltaire developed a love of literature and theater while at the same time, the religious instruction of his teachers prompted a skepticism and mockery of religion in general. Against the orders of his father, Voltaire decided to pursue a career in writing rather than law. Already comfortable with headstrong opposition to his family's authority, Voltaire began to find his place as a powerful critic of government and the Church for their abuse of power and injustice. Under the morally relaxed Reign of Louis XV in 1715, Voltaire became the “wit of Parisian society” through
Our oceans take a large beating every day by the extremely large amount of pollution humans produce. Our society easily dumps their waste into the oceans to dispose of the excessive amount of garbage, sewage, and chemicals, but this small and simple solution is creating an even bigger problem. The way humans dispose of their wastes is causing the death of our beloved marine life. Not only are we killing off our animals, our food source, and our resources, we are also minimizing our usable water. By having a better understanding of the problem on the severe dumping, it will be easier to find ways to help minimize the pollution that is going into the ocean.
Autobiographer, essayist, playwright, poet, satirist, Enlightenment writer and philosopher – these are just a few of the hats worn by French born François-Marie Arouet, more famously known by the adopted pen name Voltaire. Beyond his written work Voltaire was an outspoken advocate for the freedom of religion, expression, and the separation of church and state. He used his versatile literary work as a tool to criticize the Catholic Church and overall intolerant French society. Voltaire’s cynical writing reached its highest potential in his rapid-fire satire Candide, or Optimism. In the novella, Voltaire told the story of Candide – a young man on a quest for happiness and spiritual fulfillment who encountered tragic setbacks that eventually led to bitter disillusionment. The purpose of Candide was to mock philosophers of the
...he Age of Enlightenment in his writing. He is initially trying to show that El Dorado is a successful village where the philosophy behind scientific breakthroughs from the scientific revolution were applied to politics and religion. Which means that science, religion, and philosophy coexist in the nation of El Dorado. This was something that most of Europe was trying to do at the time, yet many people fell to the Catholic Church and their rulers to persecution over their practices. Voltaire had witnessed these things in France and is what really drove him to begin writing about the journey made by Candide to find Miss Cunégonde. Through his writing, he is able to express his philosophy and beliefs of how he believed Europe should truly be.
Voltaire, Francois-Marie Arquet de Voltaire. "The Norton Anthology of World Literature." Candide. W.W> Norton & Company: New York and London, 2002. 520-580.
Voltaire. Candide. New York: Boni and Liveright, 1918. Project Gutenberg. Web. 11 January 2014. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19942/19942-h/19942-h.htm
Voltaire, Francois-Marie A. “Candide.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature: 1650-1800. Eds. Sarah Lawall and Maynard Mack. 2nd ed. Vol. D. New York: W. W. Norton, 2002. 520-567. Print.
Voltaire was the name of the pen used by the famous writer of Enlightenment, Francois Marie Arouet. (Voltaire; 38) Arouet gives an example of an ordinary innocent father saying when he gets in trouble, without doing anything wrong, then voices of ordinary people are heard; he writes, “Every voice is raised in a demand of vengeance.” (Voltaire; 39) He argues that the danger decreases as the variety of people from different beliefs increase, because multiplicity enfeebles the authorities. (Voltaire; 39) He also says that many fathers want to return back to their homeland with a wish that their beliefs will be respected, and they will be able to live with their family peacefully. Arouet says, “Human law must in every case be based on natural law. All over the earth the great principle of both is: Do not unto others what you would that they do not unto you.” (Voltaire; 39-40) Similar to King Henry IV, Arouet compares this situation with the people in Asia, that how there would not be any religion present there if they had also not tolerated people from having different religious
Voltaire, , and Roger Pearson. Candide: And Other Stories. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990. Print
Many classic books of literature of the French Enlightenment era comes from the famous author Francois-Marie Arouet, better known as his pen name, Voltaire.The French author was born on November 21st, 1694 and died May 30th, 1778 in the city of Paris. He started school at the Jesuit College of Louis-le-Grand at the age of 10 and graduated in 1711 with a motive of being a writer. However, Voltaire’s father did not agree with his choice of study and wanted Voltaire to study law. He went back to school to study law for another two years after his graduation. Voltaire was sent to The Hague, Netherlands in order to act as a secretary to the French ambassador at the time. During his visit, he became infatuated with Catherine Olympe de Noyer. Due to his love affair, Voltaire was discharged from the Dutch country to France “disinherited, and threatened with exile to the New World.” (Stanley 67). A few years later, Voltaire was accused of writing two satiric poems against the French regime because of his reputation in writing and was imprisoned at the Bastille from 1717 to 1718. During the time spent inside the prison, Voltaire wrote the tragedy called the Oedipe. After being released, Voltaire adopted the new of De Voltaire due to the commonness of the original name. His father died in 1722 and was released from his control. Voltaire also met Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a Genevan philosopher, the same year in Brussels, Belgium. From 1726 to 1728, Voltaire was sentenced to another term in the Bastille and exiled to England due to an encounter with “his growing squadron of enemies and spearheaded Chevalier de Rohan” (Stanley 67). He met the author by the name of Jonathan Swift during his exile. Voltaire was able to re-enter France in 1729, and p...
Overall Voltaire is successful in promoting his ideas and beliefs. It is clear he wants to see a drastic change in religion, politics and morals in the pre-modern period. Throughout his novel Candide he is able to criticise society with a light hearted mockery but also with a seriousness using extreme examples to address his points and concerns. It is arguable that his ambitions were far too high at a time of hope and debate in the 18th century.
Voltaire. Candide. In Candide, Zadig and Selected Stories.Trans. Donald Frame, New York: Penguin Group, 1961.
Europe saw a time of literature works of great and broadly inclusive significance. The period, commonly known as the Age of Enlightenment, saw intellectual movements incite the rise of the French Revolution through philosophical ideas. These group of intellectuals included Moliere and Voltaire, two professional writers who used satirical approaches in their works to express their idea for challenging the absolute right to rule and promote ideas for the annulment of the social class system. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis into the life and works of the two writers.
Voltaire, Francois-Marie Arouet de. “Candide.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Gen. ed. Martin Puchner. Shoter 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 2013. 100-59. Print.
...s to take action on contaminated beaches nearby are to speak out, attend public meetings, and/or volunteer. To reduce the contaminants in the ocean, everyone can plant trees, dispose chemicals and pet waste in the correct designated areas, prevent waste from going into seward and storm drains, prevent the clogs in storm drains, organize neighborhood cleanups, recycle paper, plastic, and glass, and maintain cars from oil leaks. To give a helping hand, there are many volunteer programs for people to clean up waste on the shore lines. They have a website where people are able to help out along the coastlines of California near them; www.cacoastkeeper.org/take-action/volunteer. We have created this problem, we should be able to resolve it. Either we change what we’re doing on land, or face the future extinction of many animals and people due to the cause of one species.