Candide

By Voltaire

Voltaire’s masterpiece of satire Candide was written between July and December 1758 and published simultaneously in Geneva, Paris and Amsterdam in January 1759. The events in the book unlike most works of fiction are astutely based on the current state of Voltaire’s contemporary world and culled from the headlines of his day. No majo

• Language: English
• Publisher: Well Read Edition
• Release date: Jan 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781944556129

Voltaire

Voltaire was the pen name of François-Marie Arouet (1694–1778)a French philosopher and an author who was as prolific as he was influential. In books, pamphlets and plays, he startled, scandalized and inspired his age with savagely sharp satire that unsparingly attacked the most prominent institutions of his day, including royalty and the Roman Catholic Church. His fiery support of freedom of speech and religion, of the separation of church and state, and his intolerance for abuse of power can be seen as ahead of his time, but earned him repeated imprisonments and exile before they won him fame and adulation.

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Why Does Voltaire’s Candide Endure?

Voltaire’s masterpiece of satire Candide was written between July and December 1758 and published simultaneously in Geneva, Paris and Amsterdam in January 1759. The events in the book unlike most works of fiction are astutely based on the current state of Voltaire’s contemporary world and culled from the headlines of his day. No major power center was omitted. Arbiters of social status, sex/love, money, war and religion were all lambasted within the pages of Candide.

Voltaire’s satire of religion inevitably took the spotlight (in his time), his analysis of the other powers that control the world – money, rank, violence and sex – still applies. These are among the reasons Candide remains pertinent as ever. All of the players in the world of money, social rank, violence and sex are still alive and well. Like Candide we are all born innocent and quickly realize as we mature realize that the world is not brimming with some form of pre-ordained harmony.

Candide and his companions observe a negro stretched out on the ground with only one half of his habit, which was a pair of blue cotton drawers; for the poor man had lost his left leg, and his right hand. They asked what happed: When we labour in the sugar-works, the man replies, and the mill happens to snatch hold of a finger, they instantly chop off our hand; and when we attempt to run away, they chop off a leg. Both these cases have happened to me, and it is at this expense that you eat sugar in Europe. Imagine the plight of workers in the developing world and the harsh repercussions for failure to produce finished work within the allotted time.

The characters in Candide are intentionally flat, rather like the people in a TV sitcom. Martin can only be hopeless and cynical, the opposite of Pangloss, and Pococurante can only be bored or jaded. Mayhem and violence are also ever present with the book. However, in their volume and frequency they tend to desensitize the reader. Again, think of the violence in comic strips or cartoons. Unlike cartoons however the shocking events in Candide are historically ‘real.’ The Lisbon earthquake did occur for example in 1755 and killed over 30,000 people. The Spanish Inquisition did kill countless non-Christians. Candide’s exploration of post colonial slavery in Surinam still exists to this day throughout the Atlantic and Pacific worlds.

Voltaire weaves these characters and their situations in order to illustrate ideas and to prove a philosophical point. Names that all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds is simply not true. And if I laugh at any mortal thing, ‘Tis that I may not weep said Lord Byron and the same holds true of Candide. Readers experience rapid-fire, alternating states of laughter and outrage within the book.

I. HOW CANDIDE WAS BROUGHT UP IN A MAGNIFICENT CASTLE, AND HOW HE WAS EXPELLED THENCE.

In a castle of Westphalia, belonging to the Baron of Thunder-ten-Tronckh, lived a youth, whom nature had endowed with the most gentle manners. His countenance was a true picture of his soul. He combined a true judgment with simplicity of spirit, which was the reason, I apprehend, of his being called Candide. The old servants of the family suspected him to have been the son of the Baron’s sister, by a good, honest gentleman of the neighborhood, whom that young lady would never marry because he had been able to prove only seventy-one quarterings, the rest of his genealogical tree having been lost through the injuries of time.

The Baron was one of the most powerful lords in Westphalia, for his castle had not only a gate, but windows. His great hall, even, was hung with tapestry. All the dogs of his farm-yards formed a pack of hounds at need; his grooms were his huntsmen; and the curate of the village was his grand almoner. They called him My Lord, and laughed at all his stories.

The Baron’s lady weighed about three hundred and fifty pounds, and was therefore a person of great consideration, and she did the honours of the house with a dignity that commanded still greater respect. Her daughter Cunegonde was seventeen years of age, fresh-coloured, comely, plump, and desirable. The Baron’s son seemed to be in every respect worthy of his father. The Preceptor Pangloss[1] was the oracle of the family, and little Candide heard his lessons with all the good faith of his age and character.

Pangloss was professor of metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology. He proved admirably that there is no effect without a cause, and that, in this best of all possible worlds, the Baron’s castle was the most magnificent of castles, and his lady the best of all possible Baronesses.

It is demonstrable, said he, that things cannot be otherwise than as they are; for all being created for an end, all is necessarily for the best end. Observe, that the nose has been formed to bear spectacles--thus we have spectacles. Legs are visibly designed for stockings--and we have stockings. Stones were made to be hewn, and to construct castles--therefore my lord has a magnificent castle; for the greatest baron in the province ought to be the best lodged. Pigs were made to be eaten--therefore we eat pork all the year round. Consequently they who assert that all is well have said a foolish thing, they should have said all is for the best.

Candide listened attentively and believed innocently; for he thought Miss Cunegonde extremely beautiful, though he never had the courage to tell her so. He concluded that after the happiness of being born of Baron of Thunder-ten-Tronckh, the second degree of happiness was to be Miss Cunegonde, the third that of seeing her every day, and the fourth that of hearing Master Pangloss, the greatest philosopher of the whole province, and consequently of the whole world.

One day Cunegonde, while walking near the castle, in a little wood which they called a park, saw between the bushes, Dr. Pangloss giving a lesson in experimental natural philosophy to her mother’s chamber-maid, a little brown wench, very pretty and very docile. As Miss Cunegonde had a great disposition for the sciences, she breathlessly observed the repeated experiments of which she was a witness; she clearly perceived the force of the Doctor’s reasons, the effects, and the causes; she turned back greatly flurried, quite pensive, and filled with the desire to be learned; dreaming that she might well be a sufficient reason for young Candide, and he for her.

She met Candide on reaching the castle and blushed; Candide blushed also; she wished him good morrow in a faltering tone, and Candide spoke to her without knowing what he said. The next day after dinner, as they went from table, Cunegonde and Candide found themselves behind a screen; Cunegonde let fall her handkerchief, Candide picked it up, she took him innocently by the hand, the youth as innocently kissed the young lady’s hand with particular vivacity, sensibility, and grace; their lips met, their eyes sparkled, their knees trembled, their hands strayed. Baron Thunder-ten-Tronckh passed near the screen and beholding this cause and effect chased Candide from the castle with great kicks on the backside; Cunegonde fainted away; she was boxed on the ears by the Baroness, as soon as she came to herself; and all was consternation in this most magnificent and most agreeable of all possible castles.

II. WHAT BECAME OF CANDIDE AMONG THE BULGARIANS.

Candide, driven from terrestrial paradise, walked a long while without knowing where, weeping, raising his eyes to heaven, turning them often towards the most magnificent of castles which imprisoned the purest of noble young ladies. He lay down to sleep without supper, in the middle of a field between two furrows. The snow fell in large flakes. Next day Candide, all benumbed, dragged himself towards the neighbouring town which was called Waldberghofftrarbk-dikdorff, having no money, dying of hunger and fatigue, he stopped sorrowfully at the door of an inn. Two men dressed in blue observed him.

Comrade, said one, here is a well-built young fellow, and of proper height.

They went up to Candide and very civilly invited him to dinner.

Gentlemen, replied Candide, with a most engaging modesty, you do me great honour, but I have not wherewithal to pay my share.

Oh, sir, said one of the blues to him, people of your appearance and of your merit never pay anything: are you not five feet five inches high?

Yes, sir, that is my height, answered he, making a low bow.

Come, sir, seat yourself; not only will we pay your reckoning, but we will never suffer such a man as you to want money; men are only born to assist one another.

You are right, said Candide; this is what I was always taught by Mr. Pangloss, and I see plainly that all is for the best.

They begged of him to accept a few crowns. He took them, and wished to give them his note; they refused; they seated themselves at table.

Love you not deeply?

Oh yes, answered he; I deeply love Miss Cunegonde.

No, said one of the gentlemen, we ask you if you do not deeply love the King of the Bulgarians?

Not at all, said he; for I have never seen him.

What! he is the best of kings, and we must drink his health.

Oh! very willingly, gentlemen, and he drank.

That is enough, they tell him. Now you are the help, the support, the defender, the hero of the Bulgarians. Your fortune is made, and your glory is assured.

Instantly they fettered him, and carried him away to the regiment. There he was made to wheel about to the right, and to the left, to draw his rammer, to return his rammer, to present, to fire, to march, and they gave him thirty blows with a cudgel. The next day he did his exercise a little less badly, and he received but twenty blows. The day following they gave him only ten, and he was regarded by his comrades as a prodigy.

Candide, all stupefied, could not yet very well realise how he was a hero. He resolved one fine day in spring to go for a walk, marching straight before him, believing that

Reviews for Candide

[therebelprince · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Juvenal once said, "It is difficult not to write satire", meaning that even if he put ink to paper with different intentions, his worldview would press him on in one direction. He and Voltaire would have got along famously, I suspect.

[dele2451 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How droll.

[funfunyay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very thoughtful and socially relevant critique of certain philosophies. Bitingly funny at times, and quietly tragic at others, it is easy to see why it has become a classic. However, it doesn't seem to me to present any alternatives to what it criticizes - as much as the Leibniz-style optimism is unfounded and dangerous, it gave me a bit of an empty feeling when I was finished. If you deconstruct the fallacies of one or another worldview, you had better have your own worldview ready to bring forward. Candide is essentially a negative novel, it dismembers what is bad or false rather than affirming or promoting what is good or true. It is like an Anti-War rally rather than a Peace rally. While I think it was essential of Voltaire that he fight the forces of Absolute monarchy and rationalism, this is not a novel to build a society on.

[omgully · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book. However, the Bantam Classic edition is only an ok translation. I got my copy for cheap. It tells the story but I'm sure there are other more scholarly translations I would choose if I were to read it again.

[cal8769 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have been trying to read more of the classics for years and when I saw the cover of "Candide" I knew that this was the next classic read for me. I laughed so much during this book. Often times the older books are very dry and proper that it is a bore to read. Voltaire told it how he saw it.

[elosoblanco · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was not at all what I thought it would be. The read was interesting, and heavy on the satire. The theme is easily understood and carried throughout the work, and it's a relatively quick read. Read this if you have a couple of hours to spare.

[xiaomarlo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hilarious! Ever since reading The Baroque Cycle (or at least the first two books and the first half of the third one) I've loved this historical period, and it's clear Stephenson wrote it with Candide in mind. It's silly, clever, and risqué, and you can read it in an afternoon.

[booksfordinner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The great master of satire. The thing I love about Voltaire is that he just honestly couldn't help himself. He was wealthy and liked, and he just couldn't stop from commenting in a not particularly nice way about the people and events of the day.

[sean191 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Voltaire - this is the first work I've read from him. I was thinking it was going to be heavily intellectual - and it had some deep themes, but they were at the same time, very obvious. Overall, the pleasant surprise was just how funny he is - I hadn't been aware.

[teafritz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book several times 1/2 way through, and I finally decided to read it in its entirety. It's a fantastic book and forces you to look at the philosophy presented in the book with a critical eye. It is especially helpful to read the notes at the end. My favorite: "Voltaire failed to appreciate the importance of Canada".

[jsamaha-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I know that I'm supposed to love Candide. I know that it is a classic and brilliant and satirical and everything else that has ever been said about it. Really, I do know that but I just didn't like it.

I get that Voltaire was trying to prove a point with the adventures and beliefs of Candide but the story was just so negative. I felt so bad for poor Candide. It was hard for me to continue reading knowing that Candide was just going to have more outrageously horrible things happen to him.

Before you yell at me, remember that I know the purpose of Candide's story. Voltaire was living during a time of great philosophical thought and he was using this story to satirize the politics and religious fervor of the mid eighteenth century. I just felt that as a novel (novella?) it was not very enjoyable. Voltaire comes across as so negative. I may read Candide a second time (especially when I am not dealing with the flu) and give Voltaire a second chance to charm me.

[gazzy_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Classic modern fable exploring the once popular philosophy of 'everything now is exactly as it should be and for the best' with comedic results.

[mromano_95 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This short work is the finest example of a sustained literary assault on a philosophical idea; in this case, the idea of Optimism put forth by Leibniz. It was inspired in part by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake that claimed up to 100,000 lives, a disaster that did not fit well in the Leibnizian Optimistic View that this was the best of all possible worlds. Candide is a short, precise and very focused attack on this attitude. As such, it is a masterpiece of world satire along with other notable works like Gulliver's Travels and Huckleberry Finn.

[salonniere · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I promised myself to read as many of the classics as possible and give works of that category a special preference, Candide waited at the top of my list. Short in length but not laughs, this book served as probably my clearest introduction to satire, and who better to lead the way into the genre than Voltaire himself? Trapped in a critique of unbridled optimism, the characters suffer one tragedy or cruelty after another - and yet, though powerful in delivering the point, somehow through all the misery the tale still abounds with moments of hilarity. Timeless questions of the human experience parade throughout the story, disguised under layers of sarcasm and wit. Readers may feel shocked one moment, but need only turn a few pages to laugh out loud. As a quick, entertaining, yet covertly heavy read, the piece makes a great entry point to the work of satirists - or just a masterful diversion into "the best of all possible worlds," depending on your perspective.

[kwohlrob-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the definitive pieces of satire in literature and it still holds up to this day. It never flinches in its attack on the human condition and like the somewhat lengthier "Gulliver's Travels," has no time for redemption or optimism. That's why I love it so.

[melydia_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is quite the silly book. It comes to more or less the same conclusions about happiness as Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, if a touch more (okay, a lot more) cynically. That is, that life is best when one has a purpose, a way to spend their time. The plot in a nutshell: Candide desperately tries to retain his optimism as endless and increasingly unlikely calamities befall him and his cohorts. There are funny bits, there are disturbing bits, and there are bits that make you go "huh?" but all in all it's a decent read. And short enough that it isn't a chore to get through.

[davidgnp · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the many classics I am currently re-reading, 'Candide' still entertains me. I would credit its continued relevance as a satire on society and the human condition even though the vast majority of its contemporary references are now forgotten except by specialists and scholars. What touches the modern reader is the humour, the broad but hilariously irreverent characterisation (it had not struck me before how like Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are Candide and Cacambo), the sharpness of the satire, and the questioning philosophy. I would argue there are few more powerful books on the hold our acquisitive natures have on us and the futility of our greed, or on the merits of finding our personal gardens to cultivate.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tragedy and comedy presented in sharp contrast satirising the optimism of certain philosophies.

[miguelnunonave · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Historically interesting satire against the set of France's enlightenment period. Main character is just what it says - candid. Great if you love philosophy.

[shanetierney_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very important book, not necessarily a very good book.

[amandacb_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Candide is such a great example of satire dashed with lyrical writing and fantastic characters. I re-read and re-read this, and actually lost my copy in my last move. You can bet I will order a new one. It's fun and campy without being maudlin.

[cliffburns · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Timeless satire, expertly translated by John Butt. Misfortune after misfortune befalls the hapless Candide and yet he clings to the optimistic philosophy of his old mentor Pangloss that "all is for the best". Black humour and surrealistic episodes are juxtaposed with scenes of savagery and inhumanity--from Voltaire's cool perspective, it's all part of the majesty and misery of existence. A book that truly deserves the honorific "Classic". A magnificent volume, as relevant today as the hour it was completed.

[bdtrump · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book would have been much easier to read as a contemporary to Voltaire, although far from impossible to enjoy. It can be funny, but the style is choppy and the story jumps from one disjointed plot twist to the next. A classic, but perhaps not for everyone.

[comfypants · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A man with a naive philosophy faces a series of tragedies around the world.1/4 (Bad).It's all bitter, derisive "wit" that reads like a summary of a novel. I don't understand what any modern reader would get out of this.

[mbmackay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Voltaire's famous romp through his philosophy & grudges. Introduces the character Pangloss - the eternal optimist - "everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds".Read in Samoa Apr 2003

[atreic · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

 I liked the operetto, and was having my own time of 'hah, I have always believed we live in a fundamentally Good world, what's with this shit?' so wanted to read Candide. It's hard to review the Classics TM. If it was a modern novel then there would be comments about pacing and characterisation. But actually, a surprising amount of Stuff happens, and even if it is a bit relentlessly 'hey, the world is quite random and rubbish' the ending of 'well, let's get on tending our garden' is a wise message. Also, red sheep!

[brett_in_nyc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Okay Okay. I am quoting it to myself all the time now, given what Bush has done to our once lovely and promising country. Sad to say, lots of dumb despotic Kings did it to lots of other countries for centuries in the past. And, we never learn. Definitely a good read to bring us back to reality and reinforce our responsibilities for today.

[emmakendon_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Absurd, impossible, vile, vicious and bawdy, Candide is a quick lampooning of Optimism, with a fine if simple final message: "We must go to work in the garden". And we must. All human ugliness is in this short book, but presented so shockingly it glances over your senses and remains in the absurd - so you can dwell in it at the time or think about it afterwards as much as you choose. Candide himself is good company on this short buffeting through horrible time. The horrors are diluted by the impossibility of characters' survival but the sense of witnessing people not learning is realistically frustrating!

[sushicat-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Voltaire wrote this under a pseudonym as a satyrical critique to the popular philosophy of the day whereby we live in the best possilble world. It reads as a (rather long) series of atrocities and misfortunes that happen to just about every person Candice encounters during his rather curious adventures.
An interesting read in it's historical and philosophical context, but rather tough read without it.

[fpdc_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A portuguese translation of the famous text Candide, ou l'optimiste, by Voltaire. A really delightful and funny reading with helpful annotations by the portuguese historian Rui Tavares, who also translated the text.