Candide - Voltaire

Candide by Voltaire

Genre: Classics

Blurb (on back of book): Candide is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." On the surface a witty, bantering tale, this eighteenth-century classic is actually a savage, satiric thrust at the philosophical optimism that proclaims that all disaster and human suffering is part of a benevolent cosmic plan. Fast, funny, often outrageous, the French philosopher's immortal narrative takes Candide around the world to discover that -- contrary to the teachings of his distinguished tutor Dr. Pangloss -- all is not always for the best. Alive with wit, brilliance, and graceful storytelling, Candide has become Voltaire's most celebrated work. 

MY OPINION: ****

As a history major with an intended interest in European history, I've heard my fair share about the Enlightenment, Voltaire, and this book in particular. While it wasn't the most famous of his thousands of works when it was published, it has since become arguably his most popular satirical piece from a contemporary standpoint. I'd heard all about it so many times but never got around to actually reading it until I started taking a world lit online course over winter break and this was one of the readings.

It's a super short but super witty piece about the idea of the "best possible world," a phrase coined by the philosopher Liebniz. Now, I'm not philosopher, but from what I understood about the man, he believed that if God created the world we live in, then even if it may seem "bad" it's the best possible one we could be living in out of all the worlds since God is good. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I think that's the cliffs notes version of what he was saying. 

It's a fictional satire following the young man Candide and his adventures literally all over the world. Horrible events keep occurring and here is where the satire thing comes in, as Voltaire tries to emphasize the folly of optimism and how the world is actually maybe not the best place ever. We are introduced to countless characters, different settings, and several adventures that highlight how the world is really just one big terrible place. I found it interesting to see how Voltaire took Liebniz's idea and spun it to fit his narrative. This is definitely a very Enlightened piece, following new ideas of rationality and reason rather than merely focusing on the religious ideals of God's perfection. 

Voltaire was a Deist, not a Christian, which is honestly quite interesting considering how prevalent both Catholicism and Protestantism were even in this Enlightenment period. Even though the Enlightenment focused more on a secular point of view when it came to philosophy and knowledge, many of the philosophers and thinkers of the time were still pretty religious. However, Voltaire was a big proponent of the Deist ideals of the clock master and the world being a watch in the control of some higher being. I definitely saw some of those Deist ideals ringing true throughout this work and I found it interesting to see how Voltaire managed to fit so many of his beliefs into such a short piece. 

El Dorado was a sort of satirized utopian space where Voltaire really explored the idea of a world where people were in touch with the physical aspects of the world and followed a natural religion; the people's religious beliefs emphasized a new idea that we (humans) are too small to know the Creator and that instead, we should maintain a harmony with nature and the world around us. I loved reading all of the segments of this utopia because of how interesting it was, though I will admit I was quite confused when I was first reading about it. 

I wasn't a big fan of Candide's final treatment of Cunegonde and while it was "respectable" for him to still marry her despite her "ugliness" after suffering from smallpox (?) or some s-disease (I literally can't remember), it was still unsettling to read about how he spent the entire book looking for his love but didn't want her anymore after she lost her beauty. Not the best sentiment to leave us with. 

There was one scene with this senator whose name was long and too complex for me to remember right now and he was literally just a hater to his core and honestly, I resonated with that man a bit too much. He really stood out to me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, which was honestly not too surprising for me. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a satirized Enlightenment-era piece and would definitely say to try it out if  you've been meaning to for a while.

Main Character: Candide

Sidekick(s): Cunegonde, philosopher, friends, etc

Villain(s): Misunderstandings, horrible events, etc

Classics Elements: This is a classic Enlightenment philosophical piece.