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__**The Life of Voltaire**__

Francis Marie Arouet was Born November 21, 1694 in Paris, France. He received an education at the school of "Louis-le-Grand", which was a Jesuit college in Paris where he learned nothing but "Latin and the Stupidities". His father wanted him to study law, but at the age of 17 he left school to pursue his passion, which was literature. In 1717 he was imprisoned in Bastille, a fortress-prison in Paris. He was there for 11 months for writing satire about the French government. While he was in Prison, he wrote Oedipe, a theatrical tragedy. Francis Arouet wrote this play under the pen name "Voltaire". This is how he would be known in the future. About eight years after being released (1726), he insulted a French nobleman and was given a choice between going to prison (again) and being exiled. He chose to be exiled and moved to England from (1726-1729). While he was there he was attracted to the ideas and philosophies of Sir Isaac Newton and John Locke. He was so intrigued that he wrote a book praising English customs. The French were insulted and took this as a criticism of their government. Once again, he was forced to leave Paris. He was voted into the "Academie Francaise" in 1746. The [|Academie francaise] (l'Academie) regulates the French language by deciding standards of acceptable grammar and vocabulary. In 1759, he bought [|Ferney], an estate that he would call home almost until his death. This estate was considered the intellectual capital of Europe. In 1777, at the age of 83, Voltaire returned to Paris and received a hero's welcome. He was so exhausted from the journey that he died there in Paris, although he had built himself a tomb at his home at Ferney. Because of the way Voltaire criticized the church in his writing, and the things he said, he was denied burial on church ground. He was buried at an Abbey in Champagne. In 1791, his remains were moved to the Pantheon in Paris, which is where they are to this day.  __** Timeline **__ · 1694 November 21, born in Paris to a wealthy family · 1704 Sent to the College Louis-le-Grand, a Jesuit institution, where, in addition to a sound classical education, he was exposed to stage-plays in both Latin and French which may account for the interest he had in the stage throughout his life. · 1714 His satirical poems get him in trouble · 1716 In May, having lampooned the regent Orleans, he is exiled to Tulle, then Sully. · 1717 Returns to Paris but is accused of writing two libelous poems, which he probably did not write, and sentenced to the Bastille 1729 Gains full privilege to return to Paris. · 1733 Publishes Letters on the English Nation which gets him in trouble again · He flees to Lorraine where he spends the next fifteen years at the chateau of Cirey with his mistress Emile de Breteuil, marquise du Chatelet · 1735 Once more given liberty to return to Paris but he remained at Cirey only occasionally returning to Paris. · 1746 Elected to the French Academy. · 1753 Leaves Berlin after a quarrel with Frederick over rights. · 1778 Returns to Paris a hero. May 30, dies in his sleep.

__** Main Ideas and Contributions to the Enlightenment **__ Voltaire had some very strong opinions, but sometimes he contradicted himself in the things he said and wrote. For Example, near the beginning of his career he felt strongly about the presence of free will, but as time went on, he wrote about believing in freedom of action instead. He also wrote very optimistically in his earlier writings, but after [|Lisbon's earthquakes,], he abandoned optimism. He struggled with justice, religious tolerance, and liberty. Through his writings, he discussed many topics, including God, freedom, immorality of souls.

In terms of religion, he believed that one should love God like they love their siblings, and the less religious teaching that is taught as the truth without proof, the more truthful and better the religion becomes. He fought against tradition established by Christianity, and thought of his religion as moral, rationalistic, and natural. He believed that without God, morality is not possible. For example he writes, “If God did not exist, we must invent God” He also believed that God was no longer involved in the earth after he created it.

One thing that he strongly opposed was the teaching of Descartes’ metaphysics. Descartes denied the absoluteness of motion and argued for its relativity by reducing physics to geometry, he did not recognize gravitation by reducing matter to extension and by failing to recognize the universal gravitation, and he had to explain his theory by the celestial vortex the motions of the celestial bodies. Voltaire was strongly opposed to all of these theories, and was very outspoken about it.

Some of his other main ideas included: that the economy would be stronger if the market forces of supply and demand were allowed to work freely, the fact that man’s desire to pursue happiness is inborn, and one of his main ones, [|psychological determinism]. He was a man who attacked injustice wherever he saw it, whether it be in the nobility, the government, or the church. He was also crusader against tyranny and bigotry.

Voltaire was a humanist meaning he is always looking for what and why humans are made, during this time period, people were looking at the church less and they were looking and asking question on what makes them human. Voltaire also fought with the government, he thought that the king should still have all the power he just believed that the king should be enlightened, meaning the king should do what is right for the people and not be greedy and only do what makes him powerful and rich.
 * __//Best Known Works of Voltaire// __**

//Candide// //Lettres philosophiques sur les Anglais (Letters on England) // //Sept Discours en Vers sur l'Homme (September Speech in Verse on Man) // //Zadig // //Micromégas // //Philosophical Dictionary (Dictionnaire Philosophique) "A witty saying proves nothing." // //L'Ingenu (The Innocent) // //A Treatise of Tolerance (Traite sur la tolerance) // //La Princesse de Babylone (The Princess of Babylon) //
 * //Main Works// **

//Oedipe // //Zaïre// // "Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung." // //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Mérope // //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Irène // //﻿Eriphile// //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Socrates // //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Mahomet // //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Nanine // //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The Orphan of China //
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">//Main Plays// **

//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Main Historical Works **// //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">History of Charles XII (Histoire de Charles XII) // <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">//The Century of Louis XIV (Le Siècle de Louis XIV)// "Business is the salt of life." //﻿Essay on Manners (Essai sur les Moeurs)//


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 13pt;">Summary of the Works: __**

//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">[|Candide] **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> written in 1758 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- The epic poem is about a young man, Candide, and his horrific adventures after he is exiled from his castle. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- It is the story of his journey to find enlightenment and wisdom.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Main Works **

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Lettres philosophiques sur les Anglais (Letters on England) **// - written in 1734 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- fictional letters illustrating the benefits of religious tolerance <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- He concludes the work by stating that the purpose in life is not to reach heaven but to ensure happiness through the practice of the arts and sciences.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Sept Discours en Vers sur l'Homme (September Speech in Verse on Man)- **// written in 1738 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">//<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- ////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-style: normal;"> Discourse on Man // <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">//<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- // “The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.” — Voltaire, Sept discours en vers sur l’homme // "Common sense is not so common." //

//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">[|Zagid] **// <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- wirtten in 1747 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- about Zadig’s, a Babylonian philosopher, struggle against persecution and misfortune <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- philosophical tale

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Micromégas **// - written in 1752 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- a tale about the smallness of human beings when measured in a cosmic scale <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- helps start the genre of science fiction

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Philosophical Dictionary (Dictionnaire Philosophique) **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> - // written in 1764 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- encyclopedic dictionary that criticized the Roman Catholic Church and other institutions <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- Voltaire’s lifelong project and was a culmination of his views on many things

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">L'Ingenu (The Innocent) **// - written in 1767 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- Tells the story of a Huron Indian transported to the sophisticated Paris of the eighteenth century. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- The work criticized religious doctrine and the injustices of French doctrine.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">A Treatise of Tolerance (Traite sur la tolerance) **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> - // written in 1763 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- Voltaire preached in his work that all are obliged to tolerate each other. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- He argues for religious freedom, which is popular now, but atheism was illegal in Voltaire's time and therefore led to his imprisonment and later exile.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">La Princesse de Babylone (The Princess of Babylon) **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> - // written in 1768 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- In the philosophical tale, Voltaire raises the core values of the Enlightenment. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- This philosophical tale shows, through various characters and happenings, the quest for love.

**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Historical Writings ** //**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">History of Charles XII (Histoire de Charles XII) **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> - // written in 1731 - The writing contains two views that have since predominated in analyses of the king: admiration for his personal qualities and criticism of his political strategy. //**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The Century of Louis XIV (Le Siècle de Louis XIV) **// //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- // written in 1751 - First overall account of the reign of Louis XIV. - It paved the way for both modern historiography and literary history. //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">﻿ ////**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Essay on Manners (Essai sur les Moeurs) **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> - // written in 1756 - This writing shows the methodological and philosophical reasons for Voltaire’s "//Do well and you will have no need for ancestors."// -deliberate focus on modern history as opposed to ancient history

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Theatrical Works ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">[|Oedipe] **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> - // written in 1717 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">- It was his first play and the first literary work for which he used the pen-name Voltaire. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">- A tragedy first performed in 1718 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Zaïre **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> - // written in 1732 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">- The five act tragedy was a great success with the Paris audiences and marked a turning away from tragedies caused by a fatal flaw in the protagonist's character to ones based on pathos. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Mérope **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- // written in 1743 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Irène **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> - // written in mid 18th century //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">﻿ ////**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Eriphile **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> - //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> written in 1732 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Socrates **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> - // written in mid 18th century <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Mahomet **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> - // written in 1736 - The play is a study of religious fanaticism and self-serving manipulation. //"////Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do."// <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Nanine **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- // written in 1749 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">//**<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The Orphan of China **////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- // written in 1755