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Zadig
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Zadig, ou La Destinée, ("Zadig, or The Book of Fate") (1747) is a famous novel written by Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire. It tells the story of Zadig, a philosopher in ancient Babylonia. The author does not attempt any historical accuracy, and some of the problems Zadig faces are thinly disguised references to social and political problems of Voltaire's own day.
The book is philosophical in nature, and presents human life as in the hands of a destiny beyond human control.
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Encyclopedia
Zadig, ou La Destinée, ("Zadig, or The Book of Fate") (1747) is a famous novel written by Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire. It tells the story of Zadig, a philosopher in ancient Babylonia. The author does not attempt any historical accuracy, and some of the problems Zadig faces are thinly disguised references to social and political problems of Voltaire's own day.
The book is philosophical in nature, and presents human life as in the hands of a destiny beyond human control. It is a story of religious and metaphysical orthodoxy, both of which Voltaire challenges with his presentation of the moral revolution taking place in Zadig himself. Voltaire's skillful use of the literary devices of contradiction and juxtaposition are shown in beautiful form in this prose. After Candide, it is considered one of his most celebrated works.
Characters in "Zadig"
- Zadig – the main protagonist, a Babylonian philosopher
- Sémire – Zadig's original love interest
- Orcan – Zadig's rival
- Azora – Zadig's second love interest
- Cador – Zadig's confidant and faithful friend
- Moabdar – King of Babylon
- Astarté – Queen of Babylon, Zadig's final love interest
- Setoc – Zadig's master as slave
- Almona – a widow
- Arbogad – a brigand
- Jesrad – an angel who disguises himself as a hermit
Literary significance and criticism
"It is in the third chapter of this tale that the hero after which it is named takes up the study of nature to console himself for his marital troubles and uses the observation of natural facts to infer events he has not seen. However implausible and "agrarian" his method, he is the first systematic detective in modern literature, and that priority itself adds to his troubles in the story until his royal vindication."
Edgar Allan Poe may have been inspired by the story when he created C. Auguste Dupin in "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", which established the modern detective fiction genre.
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