T
he subject of this project is the French personage Voltaire (1694 - 1778). Embodying the spirit of the Age of Enlightenment, he was a poet, novelist, playwright, historian, scientist and philosopher. He was a complex and contradictory character, on the one hand a tireless campaigner for human rights, civil liberties and freedom of religion - he was also anti-Semetic and racist.H
e could be a hyprocrite - denouncing injustice and criticizing those in power but perfectely capable of denying it was his work(perhaps not too surprising considering the strict censorship laws in existance at the time and harsh penalties for those who broke them). His character flaws were myriad: he was singularly vain, insufferably proud, he craved attention and fame, he was a braggart, a hyprocondriac, and a philanderer. Yet his human failings are balanced by his many admirable qualities; his wit, his intelligence and his tireless energy which he so often used to crusade for the oppressed and those without a voice.H
is life was tempestuous and fascinating - imprisonment in the bastille, exile in England, passionate love affairs, espionage and intrigue in Prussia, banishment, entrepreneurship - through all the drama he continued to produce some of the most witty and erudite works of the eighteenth century. The sheer volume he produced in his 84 years is mind-boggling, He wrote more than 20,000 letters and more than 2,000 books, plays and pamphlets.The project is organised into the following categories:
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