Micromégas and Other Short Fictions
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Book Overview
Somewhere between tales and polemics, these funny, ribald, and inventive pieces show Voltaire doing what he does best: brilliantly challenging received wisdom, religious intolerance, and na ve optimism. Traveling through strange environments, Voltaire's protagonists are educated, often by surprise, into the complexities and contradictions of their world. Arriving on Earth from the star Sirius, the gigantic explorer Microm gas discovers a diminutive people with an inflated idea of their own importance in the universe. Babouc in "The World as It Is" learns that humanity is equally capable of barbarism and remarkable altruism. Other characters include a little-known god of infidelity, a pretentious graduate who invites a savage to dinner, and an Indian fakir who puts up with a bed of nails to gain the adoration of his female disciples. These "fables of reason" challenge the assumptions of reader and protagonist alike.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0140446869
ISBN13:9780140446869
Release Date:August 2002
Publisher:Penguin Group
Length:208 Pages
Weight:0.39 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 5.1" x 7.7"
Age Range:18 years and up
Grade Range:Postsecondary and higher
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