Voltaire, Moliere and Satire

Analytical Essay # 62058

English > Analysis
English > Comparison
Literature > French

Demonstrates the general qualities of satire and shows how these manifest in two works of French literature - "Candide" (Voltaire) and "Tartuffe" (Moliere).

1,287 words () | 5 sources | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This essay presents an analysis on the topic of satire, focusing on Voltaire's "Candide" and Moliere's "Tartuffe", two works by French authors of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Both works critically present the social customs and the values of their age. Specifically, the paper argues that while Voltaire's "Candide" is concerned with making fun of some of the ideas of the enlightenment, Moliere's "Tartuffe" can largely be seen as a critique of the social customs of the aristocracy or the 'decadence' of the rich or wealthy, so to speak.

From the Paper:

"As satire demonstrates, humor can be one of the more functional literary devices toward a form of moral or social criticism. By and large, the themes and the narratives which are associated with this genre and style of writing, concern social customs, values or beliefs which are criticized through being satirized."

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APA Citation:

Voltaire, Moliere and Satire (2012, January 15). Retrieved February 10, 2012, from http://www.academon.com/Analytical-Essay-Voltaire-Moliere-and-Satire/62058