They took what was around them and wrote about it in either story form, or humor. Four very prominent political satirists, which are to be covered here, are Voltaire the French philosopher whose topics ranged from underwear to the French Revolution, Upton Sinclair the American author whose graphic novel, The Jungle, changed an entire industry, George Orwell and his chilling 1984, and the modern humorist P.J. O" Rourke, who is able to view American politics and write witty, sarcastic humor about it. Though the purpose of political satire is to draw attention to issues of the time, its original style has been lost through time, and has evolved from satire to humor.
Voltaire, born Francois-Marie Arouet, was one of the greatest figures of French literature. His attacks against tyranny and persecution always had a dash of wit and humor, winning much love and respect from his readers. Though he is known for much, two of his works stand out the most in his political satire life. Letters to England, which indicted the French Government, and Candide, the famous novel about ignorance and intolerance. Voltaire's life was spent following one of his quotes, "Ecrasez L"infame," Crush Infamy (Encarta 3).
For Voltaire's time, 1694-1778, politics were handled by the monarchies that commanded incredible power over the populations. All were corrupt to some degree, but the French government was worse than most. People were executed left and right, (with the help of a new invention, the guillotine) and crime was rampant (Redman 10). People were forced to steal to in order to eat, and many were killed in disputes arising from such things. Censorship was strict and many authors were imprisoned. The government did not care, and killed those who fought against it. Only someone with courage (or idiocy) could stand up to this rule, and where many tried and failed, Voltaire entered the scene. He was imprisoned twice in the Bastille, which only fueled his passion to correct the French government.