Brought up in the household of a powerful Baron, Candide is an open-minded young man, whose tutor, Pangloss, has instilled in him the belief that 'all is for the best'.
Brought up in the household of a powerful Baron Candide is an open-minded young man ... more
whose tutor Pangloss has instilled in him the belief that 'all is for the best'. But when his love for the Baron's rosy-cheeked daughter is discovered Candide is c...
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When his love for the Baron's daughter is discovered, Candide is cast out to make his own ... more
way in the world. And so he and his companions begin a breathless tour of Europe, South America and Asia, as an outrageous series of disasters befall them earthquakes, syphilis, a brush with the Inquisition, and murder, testing the young hero's optimism.
Advantages: Satire as an art form! Disadvantages: Translations not always great, targets of some satire not recognisable.
time Candide experiences something akin to this (and believe me, he does - a lot), it's a denial of the metaphysical optimism doctrine. Candide himself, however, takes much longer to reach the same conclusion.
In examining this idea that a perfect God must, by definition, have created a perfect world, Voltaire includes the most gory things in this work, and very frequently. There's hardly a female character that hasn't experiences rape, slavery or prostitution. The bizarre things that happen are similar to those in Gulliver's Travels or Gargantua and Pantagruel - very far-fetched, and designed to get a point across rather than stand up to a disection of the plot.
One of the catalysts for Voltaire producing Candide seems to be the circumstances at large in the world at the time. If things truly are for the best in this best ...
Advantages: Witty and insightful novel Disadvantages: very short
Candide is subtitled optimism and this is a source of great irony throughout the novel. Though Voltaire himself was said to have thought the peice as a flimsy little exercise, it is extremely entertaining for the modern audience. The premise behind this story is that a young man, named Candide is taught to believe in the premise "All is for the best, in the best of all possible worlds". Voltaire then sets out to show just how wrong this is. As Candide finds himself seperated from his family and all that he loves with terrible atrocities happening all around him, he sticks with this philosophy. The genius of this novel, is in Voltaire's ability to create agonising twists and turns for his protagonist whilst keeping his tongue firmly in his cheek. The ending in particular shows one of the great final ironic statements in literature, up ...
Advantages: Funny, funny, funny and excellently written Disadvantages: Old so may not be appreciated by some
Candide by Voltaire is an absolute classic that transcends time. It was written in the 18th century and, I imagine, was as funny then, as it is now!
It is one of the books you get for a £1 out of Bargain Books or such like - a Wordsworth classic and, as I am not a great reader of classic fiction, I was more than a bit hesitant at starting it. How wrong could I be?
Once started, I could not put it down and I finished it off in one night (160 odd pages) as I was that engrossed in its originality, sharp dialogue, hilarious predicaments of its main character and its sheer, almost poetic genius. I didn't think I would appreciate 18th century humour (foreign humour as well), thinking it may be a little old and culturally as different as 200 odd years could be. But I was wrong!! It's just as relevant and acute now as it was then ...
Product Information for "Candide, or Optimism - Voltaire" »
Product details
EAN
9780140455106
Type
Fiction
Genre
Classics
Title
Candide, or Optimism
Author
Voltaire
Edition
Paperback
Publisher
Penguin Classics
ISBN
0140455108
Manufacturer's product description
Brought up in the household of a powerful Baron, Candide is an open-minded young man, whose tutor, Pangloss, has instilled in him the belief that 'all is for the best'.
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