About this title: Candide, the quintessential innocent, has been taught by his tutor, Pangloss, that "all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds." Gradually, Candide and his beloved, Cunegonde, learn--as they travel through a world peopled with evil characters and various cruelties--the limits of Pangloss's philosophy. Voltaire's great comic masterpiece is a satire of the doctrine of optimism, which Voltaire sees as a blind acceptance of human misery.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: Book Club (BCE/BOMC)
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: The Penguini Classics, UK
Date Published: 1956
Description: Fair. No Jacket. Textbook. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Translated by John Butt, Pages beginning to brown, text clean, free of underscoring and notes. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books, New York
Date Published: 1981
ISBN-13:9780553211665ISBN:0553211668
Description: Good. No Jacket. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Good clean flat paperback with only very light overall wear. light rubbing on covers. pages clean and unmarked. nice copy! read more
"This light-hearted, quirky little book seems very modern: if you take out the references to the Inquisition and the slave ships and the kings, its language and text would not be out of place on a bookshelf full of current titles. Voltaire's ostensible goal was to skewer, through satire, those who believe that the world we live in is "the best of all possible worlds." In fact, the book is more a skewering of pseudo-intellectuals of all types, a skewering of those who use words and grand philosophies to justify the fact that they're acting like idiots.
Also, this book is pretty funny. One imagines Voltaire laughing out loud as he penned some of its phrases.
Old as this book is, I can see the continuation of its thread in more modern works. John Barth's The Sot-Weed Factor is a clear homage to it. And the idea of the optimistic fool whose viewpoint allows us a clear vision of the absurdity or pathos of our modern world has certainly been seen again and again, from Kosinski's Being There to "Forrest Gump."
What was most interesting to me about this book, though, was my sense that as I was reading it I was witnessing the birth of the modern novel. I can't recall my literary history well enough to remember where exactly this book falls in the grand scheme of things, but the obvious disconnect between the author's subject matter (beheadings, slavery, torture, rape, mutilation, etc) and his light-hearted, satirical style seemed to me to be like the unveiling of a shiny new weapon in the history of literature.
Through sheer force of attitude, and through focusing the narrative through the lens of a single character's simplicity, Voltaire is able to dance, jump, and laugh around scenes that previously had only been able to elicit misery and despair. That Voltaire was actually living and seeing these things in real life makes this weapon of viewpoint all the more powerful and impressive."
"Zounds! This book is wildly entertaining and I giggled all the way through Candide's awful adventures. Who would have thought that murder, rape, slavery, sexual exploitation, natural disaster, pillaging, theft, and every other oppression imaginable could be so funny?
Here's some pretty good insight from the old woman with one buttock:
"I have been a hundred times upon the point of killing myself, but still I was fond of life. This ridiculous weakness is, perhaps, one of the dangerous principles implanted in our nature. For what can be more absurd than to persist in carrying a burden of which we wish to be eased? to detest, and yet to strive to preserve our existence? In a word, to caress the serpent that devours us, and hug him close to our bosoms till he has gnawed into our hearts?"
We can try to remain optimistic and rationalize that the horrors we witness are all a part of some plan but the choice to keep on living is a truly irrational one given all of the evidence available for us to consider. We go on living against our better judgment and in spite of all of our misery. It is what we were born to do.
"'You lack faith,' said Candide.
'It is because,' said Martin, 'I have seen the world.'""
"Candide is a modern classic written in the 18th century by one of the greatest intellectuals that the world has known namely Voltaire. It is a magnum opus in the field of modern literature. It portays the society, economy, culture and polity of Europe, Africa and the New World in the terrible, strife-ridden age of imperialism. It presents a pessimistic, cynical and blunt picture of the chaos, agonizing misery, crippling destitution, unbearable frustration and excruciating torture, suffering and relentless humiliation that poor, weak and ordinary men and women of Europe, Africa and the New World were subjected to when the wantonness, lechery, avarice, hubris and worship of Mammon had deluged the minds of hard-headed individuals of power and wealth. It also gives us an insight into the bitter, conflictual and suspicious relations that existed between whites and blacks, masters and slaves, Christians and Muslims, Catholics and Protestants, Jews and non-Jews, men and women, Europe and Africa, Europe and the New World, and warfare amongst European neighbors. It reflects the ruthlessness, depravity, maliciousness and wickedness of human nature. It is a satire that vehemently ridicules and attacks the philosophy of optimism, which dogmatically preaches that everything that takes place in this world is ultimately for the good of humanity and the whole world and a person should always have a positive outlook, hope for the best, cultivate conviction in oneself, have faith in the benevolence of the Creator and believe in the intrinsic goodness and compassion of fellow human beings. The satire is exercised through the indefatigable narration of the malevolence and viciousness of human nature. The story revolves around the character and adventures of a quixotic gentleman called Candide, who is the protagonist in the story, and people who come in contact with him.
Candide is the nephew of a German baron who is driven out of the royal castle when he is caught red-handed smooching with his cousin, who is of a higher royal descent than him. This begins the saga of misfortunes and dreadful ordeals that Candide suffers in the course of the story. He is incessantly plagued with misery throughout the story but doggedly sticks to the philosophy of his tutor and mentor, Dr. Pangloss, namely optimism. Candide’s character and that of most others in the story typify the virtues of optimism, hope, tenacity, perseverance, determination, courage, confidence and strength which enable them to endure the indignity, shame, ignominy, torture, pain, deceit and disappointment that falls upon them and ultimately overcome them. The story captures the age of European imperialism when the New World and Africa were being colonized with brutal and ghastly rapacity. It personifies the rampaging plunder and loot that the maritime European merchants, kings and soldiers were inflicting upon each other and the militarily impotent nations of Africa and the New World. It also gives us a peek at the spiteful relations that existed between whites and blacks. This is exemplified by the derogatory names by which blacks are addressed by whites and attribution of inhuman cruelty and rage only to Africans. It also depicts the lamentable and gruesome treatment meted out to slaves by their masters. It accounts for the prejudice that existed between Christians and Muslims. This is borne out by the cannibalistic traits associated with Muslims in the story. It hints at the mistrust of Jews by the non-Jews. It gives instances of the rift that existed between Catholics and Protestants at that time. It chronicles the innumerable suffering that women bear at the hands of soldiers. The story tirelessly highlights the fact that vice, evil, corruption, greed, lechery and warfare are entrenched in human nature and the world is a nasty place.
Notwithstanding the belligerence, carnage and destructiveness epitomized in the story, it portrays the fabled land of riches, joy and happiness in El Dorado. The story paints El Dorado as a mythical place of immense peace and prosperity, something Greek to the real world. This emphasizes the idea that only in one’s imagination and dreams places like El Dorado exist. The story ends with a morsel of optimism conveyed through the message of persistent work. It underscores the point that work is the primary objective of human beings in life. The story signifies that despite all the trials and tribulations that humans undergo, work cannot be neglected in any circumstance. The story tells that wealth, happiness, peace and prosperity are extremely volatile in this world. It shows that being optimistic about securing peace, happiness and prosperity yields no dividend until a person works. The story brings to light that optimism is rare and product of a long, arduous process of work. The story symbolizes a vitriolic onslaught on the philosophy of optimism but does not deny its scanty presence. It underlines the point that hard work is the only path to attain a fragment of optimism on the fronts of happiness, peace and prosperity. The story is well written but is not devoid of weaknesses. It gives no history of Europe, Africa and the New World during the 18th century or prior to that. It assumes the reader to know world history. Only a reader with some knowledge of world history can figure out the context. Despite these minor shortcomings the story presents a brutally honest picture of the world. Voltaire’s classic is a landmark in the history of philosophy and world history stands as a testament to his philosophy."
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