Voltaire
Voltaire once said “God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well” (“Voltaire Quotes”). Taking his own advice and using it in life, Voltaire wrote countless numbers of books, poems, pamphlets and plays that criticized and analyzed the surroundings of his time living. The philosophe took his personal life experiences and fixated them into many writings such as Candide, The Age of Louis XIV and Essay on the Customs and the Spirit of the Nations. Voltaire’s work was influenced by the economic and political environment in France, his exile to England, and by one of his lovers the “divine Emilie”. Voltaire’s works were first influenced from life experience by the economic and political environment …show more content…
Voltaire was sent to exile due to his satirical writings and criticizing the nobility of France. England compared to France was a wide difference, even though they were both run by monarchs. France ruled with the idea that if you did not agree with the nobility or you were going against the nobility in any way, you were sent to prison. England was a more permissive environment, which caused him to thrive. England was a country full of intellectuals proved to be more tolerant of free thought than his countrymen. Living in this environment, allowed Voltaire to use his mind to its full capacity and enabled him to write satirical works freely (“Meet Voltaire”). His exile to England also allowed him to interact with other satirical authors such as Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope. Swift was a satirist, essayist, and political pamphleteer who was a native to the Republic of Ireland. Pope was an 18th century poet known for his satirical verses and who was a native of England (“Voltaire” Biography). These two men, like Voltaire, use satire in order to make their point into proving why they believe in something or why they do not. When Voltaire returned to Paris, he wrote Lettres philosophiques, which embodied 18th century rationalism. He argued that the goal in life is not to achieve heaven through penitence, but rather to bring happiness …show more content…
Emilie du Châtelet was a noblewoman with a strong passion for science. She studied physics, mathematics, and also published scientific articles and the first and only translation of Newton’s Principia into French, making her a true rarity during the enlightenment period (Soff). The two first encountered each other when Voltaire returned from his second exile. Emilie invited him to stay with her and their relationship only bloomed from there. With the superior assistance of Emilie, Voltaire was able to write and publish Elémens de la philosophie de Newton in 1738. This was a simplified guide to the scientist, making his advanced works more familiar to the people, including the gravity of the planets, the proof of atoms, and the refraction of light. Voltaire then recognized mow much he owed to Emilie for helping him with this masterpiece, so he made the frontispiece of the work showing him being touched by the divine light of Newton, reflected down to earth by a heavenly muse, Emilie du Châtelet (Popova). Not only did the two pick apart science works, but they also started looking at biblical writings as well. The two quarreled in English about trivia and studied the Old and New Testaments, picking them apart to get more information about religion and such. These biblical studies were important to the preparation of the anti-religious
Voltaire once said “God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well” (“Voltaire Quotes”). Taking his own advice and using it in life, Voltaire wrote countless numbers of books, poems, pamphlets and plays that criticized and analyzed the surroundings of his time living. The philosophe took his personal life experiences and fixated them into many writings such as Candide, The Age of Louis XIV and Essay on the Customs and the Spirit of the Nations. Voltaire’s work was influenced by the economic and political environment in France, his exile to England, and by one of his lovers the “divine Emilie”. Voltaire’s works were first influenced from life experience by the economic and political environment …show more content…
Voltaire was sent to exile due to his satirical writings and criticizing the nobility of France. England compared to France was a wide difference, even though they were both run by monarchs. France ruled with the idea that if you did not agree with the nobility or you were going against the nobility in any way, you were sent to prison. England was a more permissive environment, which caused him to thrive. England was a country full of intellectuals proved to be more tolerant of free thought than his countrymen. Living in this environment, allowed Voltaire to use his mind to its full capacity and enabled him to write satirical works freely (“Meet Voltaire”). His exile to England also allowed him to interact with other satirical authors such as Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope. Swift was a satirist, essayist, and political pamphleteer who was a native to the Republic of Ireland. Pope was an 18th century poet known for his satirical verses and who was a native of England (“Voltaire” Biography). These two men, like Voltaire, use satire in order to make their point into proving why they believe in something or why they do not. When Voltaire returned to Paris, he wrote Lettres philosophiques, which embodied 18th century rationalism. He argued that the goal in life is not to achieve heaven through penitence, but rather to bring happiness …show more content…
Emilie du Châtelet was a noblewoman with a strong passion for science. She studied physics, mathematics, and also published scientific articles and the first and only translation of Newton’s Principia into French, making her a true rarity during the enlightenment period (Soff). The two first encountered each other when Voltaire returned from his second exile. Emilie invited him to stay with her and their relationship only bloomed from there. With the superior assistance of Emilie, Voltaire was able to write and publish Elémens de la philosophie de Newton in 1738. This was a simplified guide to the scientist, making his advanced works more familiar to the people, including the gravity of the planets, the proof of atoms, and the refraction of light. Voltaire then recognized mow much he owed to Emilie for helping him with this masterpiece, so he made the frontispiece of the work showing him being touched by the divine light of Newton, reflected down to earth by a heavenly muse, Emilie du Châtelet (Popova). Not only did the two pick apart science works, but they also started looking at biblical writings as well. The two quarreled in English about trivia and studied the Old and New Testaments, picking them apart to get more information about religion and such. These biblical studies were important to the preparation of the anti-religious