ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Voltaire was quite controversial in his day, in no small part because of the critical nature of his work. His books and pamphlets contained scores of assaults on church authority and clerical power. They criticized French political institutions too, and many incorporated elaborate defenses of civil liberty.

Detailed explanation-2: -At his trial, Socrates was accused of two things: impiety (asebeia) against Athens’ gods by introducing new gods and the corruption of Athenian youth by teaching them to question the status quo.

Detailed explanation-3: -In his criticism of the French society and existing social structures, Voltaire hardly spared anyone. He perceived the French bourgeoisie to be too small and ineffective, the aristocracy to be parasitic and corrupt, the commoners as ignorant and superstitious, and the church as a static and oppressive force.

Detailed explanation-4: -Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. Voltaire was a versatile and prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, histories, and scientific expositions.