Voltaire, François Marie Arouet de: Voltaire's Style

Voltaire attained the most subtly comical effects through an imperceptible turn of a phrase; his sentences flow with facility; his expressions are always felicitous and unlabored; his irony is as devastating as its touch is light. Brevity and lucidity characterize all his writings. The Dictionnaire philosophique (1764) is a compendium of Voltaire's thought on the most varied subjects. In his serious poetic works, the perfection of his style is usually combined with a coldness that has robbed them of lasting appeal, although they tower above those of other 18th-century imitators of Racine. Voltaire was significant in helping to introduce to the theater authentic costumes, and he labored successfully for the improvement of the social status of actors.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Voltaire's Philosophy
• Voltaire's Style
• The Final Chapter
• The Ferney Years and Candide
• Berlin and Geneva
• Work in England and Cirey
• Early Life
• Bibliography

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