Comparison of the social criticism of Voltaire's Candide and Samuel Johnson's Rasselas Samuel Johnson and Voltaire were both writers of enormous social consciousness in the eighteenth century. It is therefore not surprising to find that both men wrote short stories that deal primarily with criticism of the human condition. Ironically, these books were written and published within weeks of each other in 1759 (Enright 16). Johnson's Rasselas and Voltaire's Candide are strikingly similar in their use of episodic and romantic picaresque motifs. The underlying purpose of each author's criticism, however, allows many differences between the two stories to emerge. The author's intentions diverge beyond superficial similarities, and each work develops a unique point of view from which to observe humanity. Neither work can be accused of being a realistic tale. These moral fables are set in a fantastic, utopian and ridiculous world. The distance from the reader in each story, however, is quite different. Johnson places realistic characters in an unrealistic world. He stays on the same level with his characters, describing the situations and the environment in which they find themselves. In this way the reader can identify with and feel empathy for Rasselas' characters. They are thinking, thoughtful, fallible human beings, equal to the reader and the author. Voltaire creates a gulf between humanity and Candide's world. The reader laughs not just at the situation or setting, because the characters are just as ridiculous as the world they live in. It is possible that Voltaire wants his audience to assume a position of moral superiority when reading the story. The reader cannot grasp the character... middle of the sheet ......liographyEnright, Introduction by DJ. The story of Rasselas, prince of Abyssinia. By Samuel Johnson. London: Penguin Group, 1976. p.12,16.Hill, GB Introduction. The story of Rasselas, prince of Abyssinia. By Samuel Johnson. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1887. p.17.Johnson, Samuel. The story of Rasselas, prince of Abyssinia. Ed. Enright, DJ London: Penguin Group, 1988. p.43,45,65,103Johnson, Samuel. “Hiker No. 184.” Rpt. in Enright, Introduction to DJing. The story of Rasselas, prince of Abyssinia. By Samuel Johnson. London: Penguin Group, 1976. p.32.Maurois, Andre. "The Sage of Ferney." Voltaire. New York: D. Appleton & Co, 1932. Rpt. to Candide. Trans. Bair, Lowell.New York: Bantam Books, 1988. P.6-7.Voltaire. White. Trans. Bair, Lowell. New York: Bantam Books, 1988. p.73,120.