Voltaire

Voltaire's contradictions of character are reflected in his writings as well as in the impressions of others. He seemed able to defend either side in any debate, and to some of his contemporaries he appeared distrustful, avaricious and sardonic; others considered him generous, enthusiastic, and sentimental. Essentially, he rejected everything irrational and incomprehensible and called upon his contemporaries to act against intolerance, tyranny, and superstition. His morality was founded on a belief in freedom of thought and respect for all individuals, and he maintained that literature should be useful and concerned with the problems of the day. These views made Voltaire a central figure in the 18th-century philosophical movement typified by the writers of the famous French Encyclopédie. Because he pleaded for a socially involved type of literature, Voltaire is considered a forerunner of such 20th-century writers as Jean-Paul Sartre and other French existentialists.

All of Voltaire's works contain memorable passages distinguished by elegance, perspicuity, and wit. His poetic and dramatic works, however, are marred often by too great a concentration on historical matter and philosophical propaganda. His other writings include the tragedies Brutus (1730), Zaïre (1732), Alzire (1736), Mahomet (1741), and Mérope (1743); the philosophical romance Zadig (1747); the philosophical poem Discours sur l'homme (Discourse on Man, 1738); and the historical study Charles XII (1730).