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Voltaire
Voltaire (1694-1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, advocacy of civil liberties, and criticism of the Church. He wrote numerous books, essays, and plays, with "Candide" being one of his most celebrated works, a satirical novel that critiques optimism and societal norms. Voltaire was known for his sharp attacks on the Catholic Church and the French monarchy, promoting ideas of freedom of speech, religious tolerance, and the separation of church and state. His works contributed significantly to the intellectual movement that eventually led to the French Revolution.
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Voltaire
The 18th of the Month Scheval, in the Year of the Hegira, 837. Thou Joy of ev’ry Eye! Thou Torment of every Heart! Thou Intellectual Light! I do not kiss the Dust of thy Feet; because thou seldom art seen out of the Seraglio, and when thou art, thou walkest only on the Carpets of Iran, or on Beds of Roses. I here present you with a Translation of the Work of an ancient Sage, who having the Happiness...
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Voltaire
INTRODUCTION Ever since 1759, when Voltaire wrote "Candide" in ridicule of the notion that this is the best of all possible worlds, this world has been a gayer place for readers. Voltaire wrote it in three days, and five or six generations have found that its laughter does not grow old. "Candide" has not aged. Yet how different the book would have looked if Voltaire had written it a...
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Voltaire
INTRODUCTION François Marie Arouet, who called himself Voltaire, was the son of François Arouet of Poitou, who lived in Paris, had given up his office of notary two years before the birth of this his third son, and obtained some years afterwards a treasurer’s office in the Chambre des Comptes. Voltaire was born in the year 1694. He lived until within ten or eleven years of the outbreak of the...
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Voltaire
ADULTERY Note on a Magistrate Written about 1764 A senior magistrate of a French town had the misfortune to have a wife who was debauched by a priest before her marriage, and who since covered herself with disgrace by public scandals: he was so moderate as to leave her without noise. This man, about forty years old, vigorous and of agreeable appearance, needs a woman; he is too scrupulous to seek to...
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