Candide: Or Optimism"All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds" It was the indifferent shrug and callous inertia that this "optimism" concealed which so angered Voltaire, who found the "all for the best" approach a patently inadequate response to suffering, to natural disasters, not to mention the questions of illness and man-made war. Moreover, as the rebel whose satiric genius had earned him not only international acclaim, but two stays in the Bastille, flogging, and exile, Voltaire knew personally what suffering entailed. In Candide he whisks his young hero and friends through a ludicrous variety of tortures, tragedies, and a reversal of fortune, in the company of Pangloss, a "metaphysico-theologo-comolo-nigologist" of unflinching optimism. The result is one of the glories of eighteenth-century satire. For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. |
Contents
CANDIDE OR OPTIMISM | 17 |
How Candide escaped from the Bulgars and what | 25 |
Describing tempest shipwreck and earthquake | 32 |
Relating further adventures of Cunégonde Can | 44 |
The old womans misfortunes continued | 53 |
The reception Candide and Cacambo met with from the Jesuits of Paraguay | 61 |
How Candide killed the brother of his beloved Cunégonde | 65 |
The adventures of our two travellers with two girls and two monkeys and what happened to them amongst the savage Oreillons | 68 |
What happened to Candide and Martin at | 91 |
What Candide and Martin discussed as they approached the coast of France | 94 |
What happened to Candide and Martin in France | 96 |
Candide and Martin reach the coast of England and what they see there | 110 |
About Pacquette and Brother Giroflée | 112 |
A visit to Count Pococurante a noble Venetian | 118 |
How Candide and Martin supped with six strangers and who they were | 124 |
Candides journey to Constantinople | 128 |
How Candide and his servant reached the country of Eldorado and what they saw there | 73 |
What they saw in the country of Eldorado | 77 |
What happened to them at Surinam and how Candide made the acquaintance of Martin | 84 |
What happened to Candide Cunégonde Pan gloss Martin and the rest | 133 |
How Candide found Cunégonde and the old woman once more XXX Conclusion 36 94 96 IIO 112 118 124 128 133 | 137 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abars abbé Achmet adventures Anabaptist asked Candide auto-da-fé Baron beautiful Bordeaux Brother Giroflée brought Buenos Ayres Bulgars Cadiz Candide and Cacambo Candide and Martin Candide's captain carnival cassock CHAPTER Colonel Constantinople cried Candide Cuné Cunégonde's dear Pangloss diamonds Don Issachar earthquake Eldorado eunuch everything evil exclaimed Candide eyes flogged followed France galley girl gonde gondoliers Grand Inquisitor hanged happened happy honour hundred Inquisitor Jesuit killed King Lady Cunégonde leave Leibniz Lisbon lovely Cunégonde Majesty Marchioness master misfortunes moidores monk never old woman Oreillons Pacquette Palestrina Pangloss Paraguay philosopher Pococurante Portugal possible worlds priest Professor Pangloss replied Cacambo replied Candide replied Martin reverend father scarcely seen servant sheep ship sister soldiers soon strangers suffered supper Surinam talking tears tell things thousand piastres Thunder-ten-tronckh told took Venice Voltaire Voltaire's Westphalia young