CandideCandide is a French satire by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. It begins with a young man, Candide, who is living a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise and being indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism (or simply Optimism) by his mentor, Pangloss. The work describes the abrupt cessation of this lifestyle, followed by Candide's slow, painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Voltaire concludes with Candide, if not rejecting optimism outright, advocating a deeply practical precept, "we must cultivate our garden", in lieu of the Leibnizian mantra of Pangloss, "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds". Candide is characterized by its sarcastic tone, as well as by its erratic, fantastical and fast-moving plot. A picaresque novel it parodies many adventure and romance clichés, the struggles of which are caricatured in a tone that is mordantly matter-of-fact. Still, the events discussed are often based on historical happenings, such as the Seven Years' War and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. As philosophers of Voltaire's day contended with the problem of evil, so too does Candide in this short novel, albeit more directly and humorously. Voltaire ridicules religion, theologians, governments, armies, philosophies, and philosophers through allegory; most conspicuously, he assaults Leibniz and his optimism. As expected by Voltaire, Candide has enjoyed both great success and great scandal. Immediately after its secretive publication, the book was widely banned because it contained religious blasphemy, political sedition and intellectual hostility hidden under a thin veil of naïveté. However, with its sharp wit and insightful portrayal of the human condition, the novel has since inspired many later authors and artists to mimic and adapt it. Today, Candide is recognized as Voltaire's magnum opus and is often listed as part of the Western canon; it is arguably taught more than any other work of French literature. It was listed as one of The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written. |
Contents
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Section 21 | |
Section 22 | |
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Section 24 | |
Section 9 | |
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Section 11 | |
Section 12 | |
Section 13 | |
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Section 15 | |
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Section 25 | |
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Section 28 | |
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Section 31 | |
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Common terms and phrases
abbe adventures Algiers answered appeared arms arrived asked Baron beautiful believe body brother brought Bulgarians Cacambo Candide captain carried castle cause CHAPTER condition continued cried dead dear desired diamonds Dorado effect everything eyes fair father followed galley gave give going hand hanged happened head heard honor hundred immediately Inquisitor Italy Jesuit killed King kingdom ladies length live looked Lord lost manner Martin master Miss Cunegund mother nature never obliged officer old woman once ordered Pangloss passed person philosopher pieces pleasure possible present reason received replied returned seen sent sheep ship sister slave soon speak strangers suffered surprised taken tears tell things thought thousand told took travelers true turned twenty Venice vessel wait whole young