Age of Enlightenment Voltaires Candide Background Information English

Age of Enlightenment & Voltaire’s Candide Background Information English II Mrs. Chapman Adapted from Mrs. Libertucci

Age of Enlightenment • A philosophical, intellectual, and cultural movement of the 17 th and 18 th centuries. • Enlightenment thinkers questioned traditional authority and believed that humanity could be improved through rational change. • Stressed reason, logic, criticism and freedom of thought over dogma (principles laid down by an authority), blind faith, and superstition. • Scientists used observation and logic to understand the physical world and promoted a belief in science instead of faith. • Was a time of skepticism and questioning of the world.

Voltaire 1694 -1778 (Francois-Marie Arouet) • Was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, philosopher • Known as one of the great liberal minds of the Enlightenment • Known for being practical, witty, charming, contemplative, highly intellectual, and outspoken with a sense of humor (which often got him in trouble) • Famous for his attacks on the established Catholic Church, advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state

Voltaire’s Beliefs/Legacy • Believed in a god who was a creator and punisher of evil, but he attacked any religion he felt to be guilty of superstition, intolerance, or persecution • Believed that the church withheld information from people so it could maintain power • Legendary for supporting people no matter their birth or station in life • Unmasked people and institutions that held the power to tell people what to think or not to think

Topics of Writing • Voltaire believed in writing the truth. • Voltaire wrote about the potential evils of the church, philosophy, and politics. • He revealed the hypocrisy and corruption of these institutions. • He wrote about Enlightenment ideas in a way for the common man to understand.

Look up in the dictionary… • • 4. What is deism? 5. What is theism? 6. What is empiricism? 7. What is theodicy?

Leibniz’ Theodicy of Optimism • 9. What is Leibniz’s theodicy of “Optimism”? 
-Optimism claimed that: 
 -God created the universe
 - God’s creation is logically ordered
 - An all good god would only create a world with the minimum evil
 - God could not create a perfect world because only God can be perfect
 - Thus, this is the best of all possible worlds
Conclusion: Logic reveals the amount of evil (suffering) in the world is the very least amount: God created the best of all possible worlds. Essentially, since God created the world, then he had a plan; therefore, things happen for a reason.

Candide • Voltaire wrote Candide at age 65, and he wrote it in three days. • *It is a French satire published in 1759 • *A picaresque novel that parodies many adventure and romance clichés, it ridicules and satirizes religion, governments, armies, philosophies, and philosophers through the use of allegory. • *Most conspicuously, Voltaire assaults Leibniz and his philosophy of Optimism.

Philosophical Tale • Very specialized genre quite popular in the 18 th century • *Work of fiction in which a significant proportion of the work is devoted to a discussion of questions normally addressed in philosophy. • *Should not be read realistically, the purpose is not to present a verisimilitude (realism) of life. • *Is non-realistic and depends on satire and hyperbole (ridiculous exaggeration) to portray the absurdities and vices of mankind. • *Intended to use humor to criticize a philosophical position.

Satirical Parody • *Voltaire makes fun of both the adventure novels and the pastoral romance novels of his time: shipwrecks, kidnappings by rival suitors, unexpected reunions between long-lost characters, love-sick heroes, far-off (and made-up) settings. This entire book is a satirical parody.

Philosophical Questions of the Time • Why do bad things happen in the world? • What/where is the origin of evil? • If there is a god, does he control evil and good in the world? • Do men have free will or are they controlled by fate or an all-knowing god?

Voltaire Satirized Current Events in Candide • *1755 earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal where about 50, 000 people were killed • *Seven Years’ War 1756 (-very bloody war) • *Execution of Admiral Byng in 1747 • *War between France and England for Canadian territory

Candide Introduction…

CANDIDE INTRODUCTION • Candide is subtitled “Optimism” and tells a tale of the woes that befall a naïve simpleton who is brought up to believe that this world is the best of all possible worlds. • Candide is always trying to understand why such bad things/evil exists in our world. • The point of Voltaire’s story is to show Candide’s optimism is foolish in a world in which people’s lives are shaped for the most part by cruel and incomprehensible forces.

PLOT • -The plot of Candide takes the form of a quest: the young man’s quest for union with his beloved, Cunegonde. • -They go through a series of separations and reunions, as Cunegonde is taken as booty by the Bulgarians, held prisoner by the Grand Inquisitor, and forcibly kept as a mistress by the Governor of Buenos Aires—in this, the best of all possible worlds. • -What happens to Candide himself is no better, but the two lovers somehow survive. • -The tale is told with great verve and hilarity, and, like all quests of this kind, the journey involves much suffering but ends in wisdom.

Literary Focus • Satire is writing that ridicules human weakness, vice, or folly in order to bring about social reform. • An expert satirist like Voltaire uses a variety of tools to expose his subject to ridicule. As Voltaire exposes one absurdity after another, readers become convinced that they would be fools not to agree with his point of view.