Candide

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Summary: Timeless magnificence
Review: Indubitably one of the most prodigious philosophical luminaries ever, Voltaire amazingly, although not surpisingly, continues to resonate to new generations even today. Candide, albeit a short work, emanates incredible power. When first printed, Candide subsequently was banned by Louis XV for fear of rousing the proletariat. Upon reading Candide, one can, without doubt, ascertain why. Voltaire stresses resilience, realism, and an eschewal of blithe trust and optimism.

For a short work, Candide provides more outrageously absurd events than one would deem possible. Voltaire's unremitting penchant for humorous and farcical satire makes this book an absolute necessity to read for anyone who possesses a keen mind and is up to the challenge of profound literature.

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Summary: Action-packed, hilarious, vulgar ... brilliant!
Review: Francois-Marie Arouet (pen name Voltaire) was one of the greatest thinkers of 18th-century Europe. In his brief novella CANDIDE -- which takes less than two hours to read -- he explains the purpose of human existence, with brilliant observations and witty humor. Voltaire offers up numerous philosophies devised by the greatest minds in history, none of which makes the remotest sense in the crazy, multi-continent, tragedy-ridden misadventures of Candide, his tutor Pangloss, his beloved Cunegonde, and the host of remarkable characters they meet.

To call this novella episodic is an understatement. There is more plot in some paragraphs of CANDIDE than there is in most thousand-page epics. We hear countless tales of injustice, swindle, rape, torture, famine, murder, plague, earthquake, and war, but Voltaire presents them in such rapid-fire understatement that the tragedies become hilarious. (Most notable is the tale of the Old Lady losing half of her backside in a seige.) It is only after Candide and his band of comrades lose vast fortunes multiple times that they happen across a lifestyle that offers a moderate amount of enduring satisfaction...

...but I will not tell you how Voltaire says that you can find happiness and fulfillment. Next time you have a rainy afternoon with nothing to do, let Voltaire explain it himself.

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Summary: Funny as the day it was written
Review: This in some respects is a strange book. It is basically an attack by Voltaire on the philosophy of Leibnitz. Leibnitz was a philosopher who had pondered on the question of evil. How is the existence of a world in which suffering exists compatible with a benevolent loving God. Leibnitz came to the position that as God was loving this must be the best of all possible worlds.

In this book the role of Leibnitz is taken over by Dr Pangloss who is he tutor of the hero Candide. Part of the plot of the book is to show example after example of the horrible nature of the world thus showing how wrong is the notion that this is the best of all possible worlds. Pangloss is faced by one disaster after another and lacks the ability to learn from his experience. The book illustrates the absurdity of a purely deductive philosophy.

Voltaire was at heart a member of the Enlightenment. He believed in the power of reason and especially reason which was based on a rational examination of society as a means of creating a better world. In his life he was friendly with many important people including Frederick the Great of Prussia. He was one of the thinkers who invented the notion of enlightened despotism. That is that kings should run their countries according to reason for the benefit of the nation as a whole. The book is a powerful argument illustrating the absurdities of the world and the existing social systems arguing for change.

Whilst the book is over 260 years old it is still incredibly funny to read. It is one of the rarest of rare commodities a book which has not lost its appeal and sparkle of wit despite the central issues that it was mean to illustrate having passed away into the dust bin of history. A bit like Wind in the Willows.

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Summary: Leibniz not distilled
Review: CANDIDE is Voltaire's wittiest novel. Voltaire knew suffering. He had been imprisoned in the Bastille. He meditated on calamities, earthquakes in Lisbon and in Lima. CANDIDE was publshed in 1759. Voltaire emphasizes the resilience of human nature. Finally, there is characterized the uselessness of metaphysical speculation and the value of work.

Candid was granted a pardon from the King of the Bulgars because he was a philosopher. He encountered a charitable Anabaptist in Holland. In South America the lovely Cunegonde's, the woman of Candide's dream, brother appeared as a Jesuit. Candide had learned from their tutor Pangloss that he was deceased. The Jesuit Baron became angry with Candide because he wanted to marry his sister and then Candide had to kill him in self-defense. Subsequently Candide's life was spared because he was not a Jesuit. Candide and his servant, Cacambo, traveled to El Dorado. They left to find Cunegonde and ran into a sugar plantation.

Candide embarked with an old man, the scholar Martin, for Bordeaux. Candide had the hope of seeing Cunegonde again. Candide went to Paris. He spent an evening gambling, and did not mind his losses, and so was taken as one of the English milords. Candide and Martin, through a series of events, were taken to lower Normandy to save their lives. Their ship went to Portsmouth, England. At length they reached Venice. Candide was reunited with his servant.

The party went to Constantinople. First Candide bought Cacambo his freedom. Pangloss and Cunegonde's brother, the Baron, were found alive as galley slaves and their freedom was purchased. Cunegonde was found working in the kitchen of the Price of Transylvania. The Baron still objected to the marriage of Candide to his sister, but he was ignored. The group endeavored to work on their small estate.

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Summary: About the translation
Review: In response to the person who complained about the English translation of Candide featured in this book, I wish to point out a few things. Firstly, the French of the original version by Voltaire cannot be considered as 'modern,' even though it is perfectly understandable to the modern reader. There are a few archaic touches here and there, sometimes because the language has evolved, sometimes because Voltaire intended it so (e.g. the title of the first chapter, "et comment il fut chassé d'icelui" > "and how he was driven thence", or something like that, was archaic even for Voltaire). I find the English translation fairly accurate in that respect. This is the opinion of a native French speaker, though.

Secondly, and consequently, the use of 'thou' in the translation is understandable. This is not the 'clerical' thou as can still be read in the English Bible and other 'flavoured' translations, but the older 'thou', which had become in Late Middle English the familiar, even contemptuous form of the deferential pronoun 'ye' (originally exclusively plural). The 'clerical' thou is a relatively modern device used in certain type of writings to convey an archaic language, but it is really an 'invention.' Therefore, the use of 'thou' in Candide, where the French has the familiar form 'tu,' is acceptable ; but it certainly can be misleading to the modern reader.

That is not to say this is the perfect translation -- such a thing does not exist. Where Voltaire uses understatement to great comic effect I find the translator usually too emphatic. Also the French version is much more vulgar in places. I suppose this translation is quite old ; there are others, but I did not read them.

To those considering purchasing or reading this book: do so, by all means. Candide is a thought-provoking, entertaining and humorous tale for readers of various tastes. It is a classic.

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Summary: Who's Happy?
Review: According to Woody Allen the world is made up of two types of people: the horrible and the miserable. The horrible consist of the crippled, the maimed, and the chronically disabled; the miserable are everyone else. Candide, who believes in the thinking of his tutor, the philosopher Dr. Pangloss, travels throughout the then known world in search of someone who is truly happy. Dr. Pangloss is of the belief that everything that happens to one--whether for good or for bad--is all for the best in "this best of all possible worlds." Martin, a philosopher with whom Candide later becomes acquainted, like Woody Allen after him, subscribes to the belief that everyone is unhappy and is doomed to suffer one misfortune after another.

Candide himself experiences one tragedy after another. Candide is swindled out of wealth that he accumulates in Eldorado, he suffers beatings, imprisonment, and endless humiliations. He is kicked in the rear end for kissing Cunegonde, his sweetheart for whom he searches the world over. He is even in a shipwreck and is forced to swim ashore. Candide calls out in despair to the absent Dr. Pangloss, for Candide hears only tales of woe from those he meets in his journey.

_Candide_ should not be taken too seriously. It is meant as a parable and a satire on religious beliefs and on human behavior. That people are greedy, selfish, dishonest, and enjoy inflicting pain on others should be no surprise to anyone who reads _Candide_. It is not unusual for characters in the book to be killed and later to return to life, or for a protagonist who is physically attractive to become aged and ugly, then later on to regain beauty. _Candide_ is an easy read with short chapters. It is rather entertaining, but can be very depressing at times. Its the message at the end--that love and friendship are what makes life meaningful--that is undeniably positive.

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Summary: Delightful Satire(Pity France has not produced good since!)
Review: Candide is a fast-moving philosophical tale of the young, innocent Candide's education in life. He begins the story full of optimism and naivety. However horror succeeds horror and catastrophe follows catastrophe until Candide eventually gives up his early optimistic views and becomes a better person for doing so. I noticed that one of the major reiteratations in the story is Voltaire use of satire to show how ridiculous Candide was to ever be cheerful in the face of disaster. Through exaggeration- the great number and extreme nature of the misfortunes that befall the characters- satire makes optimism seem not only preposterous, but also smug and self-righteous.
However, through the discussion in class I learned that the optimism that Voltaire attacked was not the optimism we tend think of. When you say that people are optimistic, you mean that they have a hopeful attitude toward life and the future. In Voltaire's time, optimism had been turned into a philosophical system that believed everything already was for the best, no matter how terrible it seemed. This was a fatalistic and complacent philosophy that denied any need for change. I believe that philosophical optimism was an enemy to a man, like Voltaire, who believed in working to achieve a more just and humane society where each person knows where he or she fits in.
Another major theme I picked out of Candide was Voltaire's major problem with evil. Evil, in its many forms, is something that Candide must constantly confront. It can take the form of a natural disaster, such as the Lisbon earthquake. More often, it is man-made: the cruelty of the Bulgarians and the Spanish Inquisition, the savagery of war, even greed and dishonesty. Candide is always questioning how and why such evils exist and in doing so Voltaire is attacking the perception of universal, rational good in mankind.
I also see Voltaire's distain towards the belief of fate or providence in the story. The fact that the good and bad alike suffer and die seems to be evidence that God is not in charge. Dr. Peach mentioned that the noblest character in the story, the Anabaptist, was killed off because Voltaire could not have such a great character finish out the story. Moreover, I see little indication that any intelligible, rational design can be found in life's progression from disaster to disaster. Things seem to happen at random as Candide, Cunegonde, and the other characters are often pictured as victims of fate or circumstances. In denying providence as a beneficent guiding principle, Voltaire appears to be saying that either no rational pattern exists in the world, or, if it does, it is not readily evident to human beings.
I noticed that Voltaire didn't just criticize the belief of divine intervention; he also attacked the hypocrisy of religion. The Roman Catholic Church, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam receive the sting of Voltaire's wit over and over. Voltaire exposes the abuses of religion without denying the validity of religion per se, because he still makes the Anabaptist the short-lived hero of the story. I believe that underlying the satire of religious practices is Voltaire's outrage at all forms of fanaticism and intolerance.
Overall I found Candide to be a great read. I enjoyed Voltaire's witty attacks on the major world view of blind optimism in spite of the fact that there is an ever present threat of evil men and catastrophes. Though do not agree with Voltaire, it is easy for me to see why he would be angry towards the belief that everything that happens is for the greater good. Through Voltaire's eyes it is hard to see a fair and loving God who is in control of events when you witness massive destructive earthquakes and are forced to tolerate intolerant religious fanatics. To the fat and indulgent European 18th Century society, Voltaire's Candide is a mirror which reveals the ugliness in all of its glory. Even today, would it not be beneficial for us to quell the beliefs that we can single-handedly change the world or that because life is wonderful, it is the same for everyone? Voltaire's satire, while extreme, does it have merit for us even today? I think that so.

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Summary: read "The Selfish-Gene" book by Richard Dawkins and know!
Review: The best book that will be in complement to Voltaires' "Candide" is "The Selfish Gene" book by Richard Dawkins. It explains why humans are greedy,selfish,dishonest, and enjoys inflicting pain on others...... "Candide" + "The Selfish Gene" = True knowledge about human nature!

P.S. Read the "most helpful" review in "The Selfish Gene" i am sure it will convince you!

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Summary: A certain kind of humor
Review: If you're a history guru, or you love hearing people subtly poke fun at authority, you'll love Candide! Voltaire did a wonderful job of musing about the patterns of life and undermining political figures of his time. A word of caution: those with little historical background on this time period may find it silly and trivial. (Just how Voltaire wanted the authority of his time to see it, ha ha). However, I loved it!

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Summary: Awful translation
Review: While Candide is a great book, this translation (the Dover Thrift Edition) has but one merit, and that is its low cost. Not only does the translator (anonymous) use archaic language to render in English a book that was written in modern French, but he misuses it. While one could make a case for using 'thou' when Voltaire used the informal 'tu', this translator uses it seemingly at random. He reverses the meaning of at least one line and skips several words for no apparent reason. If you want to read Candide, either find a better translation than this or read the original.