French Enlightenment writer Voltaire was imprisoned in the Bastille for satirical verses against the Regent. He used the time productively, writing and planning works. The Bastille symbolized arbitrary royal justice for intellectuals.

This experience sharpened Voltaire's critiques of despotism, influencing Candide and philosophical tales. It boosted prison memoir genres and inspired Enlightenment poets and dramatists emphasizing reason over tyranny, echoing in revolutionary and Romantic literature.