1. Voltaire Background information

2. Philosophy… “Crush the infamous” – Stamp out all things inhumane and oppressive. Criticized: (1) the evils of war, (2) intolerance of organized religion, and (3) indifference to the fate of the poor through satire, his philosophy, history, drama, and poetry.

3. Voltaire gained his reputation… …through satire of the government. Became friends with Pope and Swift Influenced by Bacon, Newton, Locke, which emphasized experimentation in science. Wrote about how people lived and worked according to their moral principles.

4. Publications “Essays on Morals” and “Spirit of the Nations from Charlemagne to Louis XIII” – caused the book to be banned and his exile. This was based on how people actually lived, instead of how the gov’t wanted this expounded on. He wrote the first modern history of France and also was the official historian.

5. “Candide” Written almost 50 years after “The Rape of the Lock” Themes in satires – Foolishness of humans: (1) “The Rape of the Lock” – Human nature; (2) “ A Modest Proposal” – Mistreatment of Irish; (3) “Candide” – Contrast of great tragedy and comedy.

6. Satirical techniques Exaggeration Understatement Warped logic Improbable situations Ridiculous Names

7. What Voltaire satirizes in “Candide” 1 – The castle and the army – The two most important social institutions in 18 th C Europe. 2 – Theories of the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz…Why? BC/ Leibniz said that a rational God made a rational world where everything had a place and purpose. 3 – His character, Dr. Pangloss, who says everything is for the best…basically satirizes the naïve.