Coparing and contrasting two literary works and two literary periods in which they were written - Essay Example

His life in Paris made him write more about the French Revolution. The literary period which Voltaire referred to was the Enlightenment period and his works received several critical acclaims. In contrast to this, Fyodor Dostoevsky was a contemporary writer who was a Russian novelist. Dostoevsky concentrated on the philosophical and moral aspects of the society. Dostoevsky referred to the realism and symbolism period. This was completely different form that of Voltaire’s thoughts and works. The 18th century was also known as the Enlightenment period.

The reason was French Revolution and it had a greater influence of the lives of the people in France. The period of Enlightenment popularized the conceptualities of the French Revolution and it was named as the Age of Reason. It was then the people had the ability to realize what was happening around them and in their country. But the period of Realism was in complete contrast with that of Enlightenment period. The period of 19th century was named as a period of Realism and certain literature works name it as symbolism too.

Realism focused on the realistic happenings of the 19th century. Till then the concept of supernatural power and sentiment ruled the country and these were considered as the important elements of the century. Realism revived this and literary writers contributed o this change by releasing books that imparted knowledge of the real world and this made people to realize the simplicity and truth behind a common man’s life. This became a rage as this was completely new to the people of Russia. Enlightenment and Realism imparted different aspects to the people and the world.

Writers like Voltaire and Dostoevsky worked hard to help the public realize the seriousness of life and the problems behind every change. Most of the literary works represent a specific incident or a specific revolution. Each of these works focus on the period which