The Sincere Huron (eBook)

François-Marie Arouet, known by his nom de plume Voltaire, was a towering figure of the French Enlightenment, a period marked by intellectual ferment and the promotion of secular values and freedoms. Voltaire (1694–1778) was a prolific writer, philosopher, and wit, whose oeuvre spans plays, poems, novels, essays, historical and scientific works, over 21,000 letters, and more than two thousand books and pamphlets. Among his most celebrated works is 'Candide, ou l'Optimisme' (1759), a satirical novella that critiques the optimistic philosophies of the day through the tribulations of its protagonist. Voltaire's 'The Sincere Huron' (French: 'L'Ingénu', 1767) follows this satirical tradition, presenting the story of a naive Huron called 'Child of Nature' who navigates French society with a mix of innocence and critical insight, laying bare its hypocrisies and injustices. Voltaire's mastery lay in his incisive use of wit to question established norms and to advocate for tolerance, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state. Renowned for his advocacy for civil liberties, his literary style combined sharp satire with elegance, making him one of France's greatest writers and a preeminent figure of Enlightenment thought. His works have profoundly influenced Western philosophy and literature.