A Comparison of the Quest for Enlightenment in Candide and Dream of the

Quest for Enlightenment in Candide and Dream of the Red Chamber Seventeenth-century Europe saw the end of the Renaissance and ushered in the neoclassical era. During this period, which is also called the Enlightenment and The Age of Reason, society advocated rationalism and urged the restraint of emotion. Writers modeled their works after the Greco-Roman satires and picaresque novels. At around the same while in China, the author of Dream of the Red Chamber explores a different kind of enlightenment, whose roots are in religion. Buddha is called The Enlightened One, and one of the major concerns of Buddhism is wherefore do we suffer and feel pain? Candide by Voltaire and Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xuegin introduce characters and motifs that pass on become illustrations of the quest for enlightenment. Candide, in the tactile property of the European Enlightenment, is a satire on philosophy and religion. Voltaire uses this work to candidly criticize irrational optimism and thought control. Interestingly, the word candid even makes up a part of Candides name, and Voltaire uses hyperbole to contribute to his concept of extremes. After existence kicked out of his home, Candide wanders and drags himself toward the neighboring town . . . dying of hunger and fatigue. Later, he embraced the Baron and Pangloss a light speed times. Pangloss, Candides tutor, teaches a strange subject called metaphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigology, and one of the towns Candide visits is named Valdberghoff-trarbk-dikdorff. It is these details that accentuate Voltaires criticism of irrational behavior. He further stresses his point with the characters rationalization of hardship as being everything is for the best. regardless of how ... ...eam of the Red Chamber is also related to the happiness material things can bring. Chen Shih-yin gives up his material possessions and begins a journey to enlightenment. While both author seem to renounce or denounce the world, they also appe ar to espouse the seize the day philosophy, so that one will not have regrets. Works Cited Voltaire. Candide or Optimism. Trans. Donald M. Frame. The HarperCollins World referee The Modern World. Ed. Mary Ann Caws and Christopher Prendergast. New York HarperCollins, 1994. 1933-1997. Other versions have also been consulted. Cao Xuegin. Dream of the Read Chamber. An excerpt and adaptation. Trans. Chi-Chen Wang. The HarperCollins World Reader The Modern World. Ed. Mary Ann Caws and Christopher Prendergast. New York HarperCollins, 1994. 1469-1478. Other versions, including the original, have also been consulted.