I read Voltaire's Candide a few years before reading The Hitchhikers Guide. I'm glad I did. The characters, style, themes, were all taken from Voltaire's mast

I read Voltaire's Candide a few years before reading The Hitchhikers Guide. I'm glad I did. The characters, style, themes, were all taken from Voltaire's master work. I still enjoyed reading Douglas Adams. Comparing the two gave me an understanding of what English Lit is. Enjoying each, in a different way, taught me to appreciate works as stand alone objects, and in a larger canon of literature. Though I'm still glad I read Voltaire first.