The Enlightenment The Role of Satire

A Brief Intro to the Enlightenment  As Immanuel Kant said “Do we live in an Enlightened Age? NO! We live in an age of enlightenment  This was a time of Optimism but it existed with the realization that human existed in a sad state and major change was needed.  It was an age that focused on progress – freedom, human rights, justice and equality  Scientists, philosophers and social thinkers believed that the human condition could be improved through the implementation of logic  We could become masters of the universe!

What was the Enlightenment  It was a time when people challenged the political and social structures of the day.  It was a time when scientists were developing natural laws about the world and the creatures within it.  It was a time when social thinkers developed secular ideologies with the goal of transforming society.  It was a time when traditions were challenged  It was a time when people thought about what could be rather than what is.  It was the AGE OF REASON  It was a time that was full of great ideas but little action

The Rise of Satire  Satire: Literary Comedy the points out inconsistencies Usually a criticism of society and its institutions Based in Morality and Rational Thought  You have all seen satire!  Satire becomes the language of the enlightenment  It is entertaining, understandable to the common man, not directly offensive to those in power, and makes important and intelligent points about various topics

Jonathan Swift  Attacked English society and government  Believed humans were too uncaring and selfish  Focused on exposing the horrors of England’s policies towards Ireland  His two most famous works are A Modest Proposal and Gulliver’s Travels

Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire)  The Greatest of all the Enlightened Philosophes and a hero of his time  Attacked everything from social customs and history to literature and politics  Was opposed to fast change and excessive optimism  He wanted gradual reform – feared democracy as anarchy and absolutism as tyranny  He believed in Constitutional Monarchy  Wrote the masterpiece “Candide”

Summary  The Enlightenment is an Age where people wrote about applying logic to the human condition to improve it  People thought that logic was a path to paradise  The Enlightenment was a lot of talk but little action  Satire was the common language of the Philosophes  Great writers such as Swift and Voltaire questioned society in a way that was both entertaining and intellectual