Voltaire s Candide The Most Controversial Works Of The...

Voltaire s Candide is one of the most controversial works of the 18th century, and until today is considered his masterpiece. Voltaire himself is among the disputed writers of his era, as he challenged many given beliefs. Voltaire was a contemporary of the optimism philosophy. At his time, it was widely believed that all is for the best and everything will fall into its perfect place eventually. Voltaire did not agree with this. He was very frank and straightforward, and was concerned with only the truths of this world. He went through many hardships in his life; he was imprisoned in the Bastille, exiled from his country and witnessed many European disasters, including the seven years war and the great Lisbon earthquake (Voltaire, 2013, p. vii-x). He was always concerned by the question is all really for the best, and if so, why are there so many tragedies in the world?. Thus, his works reflect exactly his deep confusion regarding the society s beliefs in his time (Mason, 1992). The re is no definite date as to when Candid was published, however, we do know it was first published as a translation from the German by Dr. Ralph. Immediately after its publication, it was banned in France and many other European countries, yet it continued to be a bestseller. There are many factors that made Voltaire so popular at the time, and remains a masterpiece to this day. The main reasons being that Voltaire frankly, without any hesitation shook the belief systems of his era to theShow MoreRelatedThe Age Of Enlightenment By Francois Marie Arouet1082 Words   |  5 Pagesthe 18th century. This era saw the rise of many writers and philosophers that are still recognized and praised today. Goals like tolerance, reason, progress, and the removal of the injustices of church and state were prominent in works by Enlightenment thinkers. Although they shared similar goals, methods to accomplish them were varied. Writers brought these new ideas to life and were key in the widespread ch anges in thinking we see occur during the Enlightenment. One of the arguably most controversial