The novel, Candide, by Voltaire, was written and published in France in the late 1750s. This time period in France was rough because of many internal conflicts and civil wars going on at the time. Philosophers had very optimistic views on the world, saying that the government should pay for the lower classes' rights and that everything is for the best. However, most people did not listen to these philosophers, causing great unrest between the social classes. There were three major social classes at the time. High level politicians, wealthy families and powerful business owners comprised the majority of the upper class, high executives in companies with high incomes were in the middle class, and retailers and mostly unemployed people were in the lower class. In the late 1750s, there was great tension between the three social classes, in which the lower class was neglected. Not only was there great wars socially at the time, but also politically. The French government was known as “ancien régime France”, maintaining the social and political structure of ancient France, which treated the upper class as most important and was a monarchy. The ruling power in government were the monarchs and aristocrats who made up the upper class. The monarchy in France was corrupt, stealing from society instead of providing for them. The king and the monarchy both furthered the idea of royal centralization, that royals were the center of the government. Religiously, France at the time of the Enlightenment was in the midst of a war, in which some religious groups, like the Jesuits, were persecuted. In addition, new ideas were being developed, such as the new importance of hygiene and the lowering of costs to aid the lower classes, both created by Count Rumford. At the time that Voltaire wrote Candide there was great corruption socially, politically and religiously, which fueled his satirical novel.
Voltaire wrote Candide as a satire on the corruption in society at the time, showing his views on many events. In order to exhibit his ideas he used several satirical techniques, such as exaggeration and contrast. Voltaire satirizes the philosophers by creating Pangloss, who is an exaggerated reflection on the optimistic philosophers in the Enlightenment period. Using extreme religious characters, Voltaire makes fun of organized religion, which was a big part of French society. Lastly, Voltaire shows his ideas on money corruption in France by contrasting every place with El Dorado from which he gets the fortune that everyone tries to steal. Exaggeration and contrast are two satirical techniques that Voltaire used in order to rebel against societal ideas in the late 1750s.
sources:
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/candide/themes.html
William Hogarth's "Gin Lane"
which shows the great squalor in which people lived in the 1750s
and brought about social reforms.
This is a very good prelude to the actual book. I like the idea that the wealthy don't care about the poor just like in the book "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. One of the things to think about is that the French were still on the feudal system, which accounts for the barbarism and disregard for the well being of the lower class. You're so cool and not a communist.
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