I want to introduce you
to a man named Francois Marie Arouet. What is that you say? You’ve
never heard of him before? But you have. This man would
later become known to the world as Voltaire. You may remember
hearing about him in regard to the Enlightenment of the 18th century. It
is true that he is considered by many, even today, as one of the Fathers of the
Enlightenment. Voltaire was at the forefront of new thinking and the
spreading of new ideas in his time. He
knew that things were wrong, and that the world was and could be a better place
for all. He used his writing to help
create change for all because the principles of justice and freedom of
expression meant everything to him.[1]
In Voltaire’s time,
France was run by the king, Louis XV. There
was one religion, one scientist, one theatre, one printing service, and they
were all endorsed by Louis XV. To go
against any of those meant you were going against him, who was believed to be
divinely appointed. Thus, the belief was
that if you were against the king, you were in essence working against God. As such, Louis XV was in control of everything. For Voltaire to publish his writing in
France, he had to get approval from the king’s authorities. If there was anything that was perceived to threaten
Louis XV’s power, it was banned. Thus,
Voltaire responded in two different ways.
Many times, he would seek his work being published in another country. Other times he went to another publisher in
France (not backed by the king) and had his work published in secret. Well, it started out as a secret. It didn’t take long for not only the people,
but the authorities to figure out that it was Voltaire and it got him into long
lasting trouble. If the king didn’t have
Voltaire’s published work publicly burned by the executioner, he exiled
Voltaire or had him imprisoned, in the Bastille.
A caliph once, when his last hour
had come,
This prayer addressed to him he
reverenced:
“To thee, sole and all-powerful
king, I bear
What though dost lack in thy
immensity-
Evil and ignorance, distress and
sin.”
He might have added one thing
further – hope.”[3]
I have taken the time
since my last blog post to delve into getting to know Voltaire more and I'm
truly fascinated. I love the fact that he
realized how much power he really had with his writing, and that he used it for
the good of the people. His writing still
resonates today, three-thousand some years later. Talk about some powerful words! I feel that we, as fellow writers have much
to learn from him and those like him, that came before us. Because of this, I hope two things. First, that you will allow me to share with
you my thoughts on what I learn about some of the worlds’ most momentous,
trendsetting writers. Second, that you will
join me on this journey by not only sharing with me what you think on what I share
but also by doing your own searching.
Until we ‘meet’ again, I
leave you with Voltaire’s own words on how much power he felt he had as a
writer. “I do not have a sceptre; but I do have a pen.”[4]
[1]
Davidson, Ian. Voltaire: A Life:
Pegasus Books, LLC. New York, NY. 2010 p. 261.
[2]
McCabe, Joseph. A Treatise on
Toleration and Other Essays: Voltaire.
Great Minds Series. Prometheus
Books, Amherst. NY. 1994. p. vii.
[3]
McCabe, Joseph. A Treatise on
Toleration and Other Essays: Voltaire. Great Minds Series. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY. 1994. p.
7.
[4]
Davidson, Ian. Voltaire: A Life: Pegasus Books, LLC. New York. NY. 2010 p. 261.
8 comments:
Great post about the power of words! It’s so true that people always refer to books, the internet, etc. when referencing things! Really enjoyed reading this.
Thanks Teresa! I really enjoyed writing and researching for it. As a matter of fact, I'm furthering my research and am so excited to hopefully provide some more thought provoking ideas that will not only get everyone's creativity flowing but start some great conversations!
Thanks, Kim. Excellent blog! Very thoughtful. Freedom of thought and freedom of expression are vital to our existence as a free and open society. Although, I'm curious. What was in the comment that was removed by the author?
Wow, this is such a great post! Not only is your premise so true, it was wonderful to learn more about Voltaire, whose works I encountered in college, but I'm not sure I ever thought about him in quite this way. What a courageous person!
Thanks Adele! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Sorry. Posted that previous comment. Not sure why it’s coming up anonymous???
Third times the charm.so they say. I posted that comment. 😑
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