Voltaire’s Candide presents two theorists Dr. Pangloss and Martin in the novel about the travels and quest of the titular protagonist Candide. Both are described as philosophers in the text, notably, Martin is a philosopher whom Candide meets...

Tragedy and romance are two genres that often go hand-in-hand to effectively enhance the qualities of each throughout the text in which they are present. Two texts that we have read this semester, Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko and Voltaire’s Candide, are...

Voltaire’s Candideis a critical satire, focusing on the Age of Enlightnement and its central themes, including reason, philosophy, and theology. He specifically critiques optimistic philosophy, which argues that this world is the best of all...

Voltaire’sCandideis more than an example of Enlightenment philosophy meeting Enlightenment-era fiction. It needs to be set into the context of the broader historical and global era in which it was produced. This essay explores how Candideis an...

Voltaire’s work L’Ingenu follows the main character, the Ingenu, across the Atlantic into England and then shortly thereafter chronicles his travels into the province of Brittany in northern France. There are various examples of the spirit of the...