Rating: 
Summary: Great Political Satire
Review: As a political satire during the "enlightenment" Voltaire's "Candide" works quite well. As a comprehensable, logically structured novel it can be at times confusing.
The great thing about "Candide" is Voltaire treats these characters in a way I feel satire works best. You need characters who are complete cliche, sterotypes of those being mocked. Satire I feel only works when you are without limits. Go overbroad, get crazy, but always remain consistant. Don't get serious on your audience when the first 50 pages did not. It breaks your flow. And Voltaire stays true to that form.
In some ways "Candide" reminds me of the work of Homer. It is a grand epic where one absurb event after another takes place, but sometimes it leaves you scrathing your head wondering, "how did we come to this"? You can argue Voltaire, in an attempt to pass one by the censors of the day had to make the book seems "pointless" so the government wouldn't be offened, but, we come to ask ourselves, what side is Voltaire really on?
He seemed to be for the enlightment, but Pangloss, who is a symbol for the enlightenment, is presented as such a fool, who repeated says everything happens for the best when nothing is working out. Is Voltaire saying the enlightenment has lost its way? If so, he never really provides a way for it to redeem itself.
Many of his attacks on society can still be agrued today, especially his opinion of the government which makes the book a worthwhile read, but the structure of the story and much of the character set-up I found poorly done.
In short the novel works well as an example of great social and political satire, but can be improved in story development.
** 1\2 out of *****
Bottom-line: Voltaire's wit reminds me of Oscar Wilde. One of the more enjoyable satires I have read. It remains true to the spirit of what I feel it great satire but disappoints in other areas.
Rating: 
Summary: My favorite book
Review: As a rule I don't recap the plot of books because I don't want to ruin anything for anyone, but for this one I will make a slight exception. Candide is a naive young man who lives in paradise worshiping his one true love, a princess at the castle in which he resides. The cruel world comes in and sends him on a trip of horrors that would make what Job went through seem like a blister. Fast moving, exciting and funny as a great novel can be.
This book can be read as a fun tale of misfortune and woe, or it can be read as a deep philosophical tale. Which is why the book is brilliant, it works on many different levels. Actually, it works on every level, which is why I recommend it to everyone who claims that they love to read. The humor is biting and hilarious, which is why it is the greatest satire ever written, even if the object of the satire has long since died.
I do want to point out one thing, and it won't ruin the ending, because the ending isn't as important as the journey. Many people see this novel as an unabashed, full on assault on optimism. It isn't. Read the ending again. In the end things work out for the main characters, just not in the way they could have ever imagined in the beginning. I think that this novel deals with the unreal expectations of youth and innocence than it does optimism. READ FOR YOURSELF AND DECIDE!!
Rating: 
Summary: Edutainment, 18th century style
Review: Candide is a short satirical work that questions if this world is indeed the best of all possible worlds, as 'Liebniz's disciples' believed. Their uncaring verdict on the loss of lives from the earthquake in Lisbon coupled with their arrogance and lack of tact in the time of suffering was fuel for Voltaire's fire.The book is fairly short and can be read in one sitting; it is laugh out loud funny in some places as the most absurd things happen to the major characters. I read it mostly because I like satire and not to get any particular message out of it. The story is pretty straightforward and I guess it does raise a few questions in the readers mind about what our purpose in this life is, how to find happiness, contentment etc... but it can also be read for the pleasure of 'listening' to one of the wittiest men that has ever lived (or so they tell me). I have not done justice to this book, and you can read longer reviews about it on this site, but I would advice you to read it yourself and then make up your mind. Get the Penguin edition.
Again, read this book! It's short, it's funny and it's by Voltaire, what other encouragement do you need?
Rating:
Summary: Edutainment, 18th century style
Review: Candide is a short satirical work that questions if this world is indeed the best of all possible worlds, as `Liebniz's disciples' believed. Their uncaring verdict on the loss of lives from the earthquake in Lisbon coupled with their arrogance and lack of tact in the time of suffering was fuel for Voltaire's fire. The book is fairly short and can be read in one sitting; it is laugh out loud funny in some places as the most absurd things happen to the major characters. I read it mostly because I like satire and not to get any particular message out of it. The story is pretty straightforward and I guess it does raise a few questions in the readers mind about what our purpose in this life is, how to find happiness, contentment etc... but it can also be read for the pleasure of `listening' to one of the wittiest men that has ever lived (or so they tell me). I have not done justice to this book, and you can read longer reviews about it on this site, but I would advice you to read it yourself and then make up your mind. Get the Penguin edition.
Again, read this book! It's short, it's funny and it's by Voltaire, what other encouragement do you need?
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful tale -- dark and thoroughly amusing
Review: Candide is a very brief, yet wholly amusing satiric thrust at the Christian philosophy of perpetual optimism. Obviously Voltaire couldn't write anything without making a pointed statement of some sort, and in its entirety Candide is no different from his other works. It's a story, of course, but only secondarily; the writer left not a single word devoid of relevance to his point. In fact he tells his tale with very little attention to detail, only concerned with encompassing his main character's lengthy odyssey as quickly as possible. With such an approach, his sole aim was to simply get the message across. In Candide, Voltaire strives to refute the belief that we live in the best of all possible worlds. By documenting his young protagonist's horrendous sufferings and hardships, the philosopher more than implies that misfortune is certainly not part of any divine plan for us. And whether you agree with that or not, I'd still say this book manifests a great deal of provocative insight, not to mention a whole lot of dark, dark humor. I wouldn't call Candide a consistent knock-out -- most of its pages aren't quite laugh-out-loud funny -- but the whole of the story very well tickles the reader with its caustic narrative. So if you're just itching for a short read (most folks could complete this one in a single sitting, I'm sure), look no further. While it may be of very petite proportions, Candide is unarguably a literary classic, as entertaining and surprising and clever as one would hope.
Rating:
Summary: Reservations about a classic
Review: Candide is among the classics of world- literature.Voltaire wrote a hundred volumes or more but this is the only piece which is still read today. There is reason for this. The theme is an eternal one, innocent optimistic idealistic youth confronting the realities of the world, and being slowly disabused of his idealism. Voltaire takes on Leibniz whose views are represented by Candide's teacher Pangloss( Everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds). Voltaire writes with great satirical skill of the numerous misadventures of Candide who after them all comes to the conclusion that ' it is best to cultivate one's own garden' . One reason I never fully enjoyed the book is my sense of a certain predictable slaptstick element in which the cruelty preceding is certainly about to be followed by the cruelty to come. And this too has to do with a feeling a sense that Voltaire himself seemed to be enjoying the cruelty more than anything else. Voltaire it is true has an honored place in the human struggle for freedom of individual expression but he was on the personal level a quite terrible person. And that feeling that for him the cruelties of life are a bit of a delight did not escape me when reading the work.
This to my mind means that the work cannot even come close to those peaks of world literature in which we have deep connection with and sympathy for the major heroes. Candide is a straw- figure and this little moral allegory still speaks a truth and a question.
Rating:
Summary: A Comic Masterpiece -- read it to laugh!
Review: Candide, which is subtitled Optimism, was written in 1759, and is proof that a sharp wit and biting satire was just as much appreciated in Voltaire's time, as it is today. Candide is the life story of a fictional character named Candide. He is a naive, innocent, and optimistic sort of person. If you ever feel that life has treated you unfairly, then you have nothing to complain about if you compare yourself to poor Candide. Just about everything bad imaginable happens to him during the course of his life. Fortunately, at least Voltaire leaves him still alive at the end of the book. Although the book is funny and fast paced (my copy has 115 pages), it can best be appreciated by recognizing the author's intention. Candide is Voltaire's commentary on the church's prevailing philosophy at the time. In Voltaire's time, the church preached that because God is perfect, he would only create the best of all possible worlds. To create a lesser world would imply that God was less than perfect. I don't believe Voltaire's argument was against this philosophy per se, but rather against the way it was used to justify all the evil found in the world. The "best of all possible worlds" proponents used the argument to justify all bad things as a necessary part of the world and so bad things should be accepted as just another part of life. However, Voltaire's philosophy was that "we must cultivate our gardens", i.e., help the good to grow while pulling out the weeds. Greed, lust, vice, etc., were not necessary in Voltaire's opinion and we should make every attempt to ward off such evils rather than merely accept them. The "best of all possible worlds" philosophy is exemplified in the book by Candide's teacher, Dr. Pangloss (a footnote says that Pangloss means "all-tongue"). Pangloss teaches Candide this philosophy and Candide tries to use it throughout the book to justify the bad things that happen to him. Voltaire uses this approach to ridicule proponents of the "best of all possible worlds" argument for why evil things happen, and takes us on an exciting and funny adventure in the process. Candide is certainly one of the best books you could ever read. After all, there must be some reason the book is still popular today and has even been made into musical plays. Other quick Amazon picks include, White Noise by DeLillo, WILL@epicqwest.com by Tom Grimes
Rating:
Summary: Delicious Irony Amidst Swift-Like Satire
Review: Ever since philosophers began thinking about the meaning of life, a favorite question has been "Why do bad things happen to good people?". In Voltaire's day, this issue was primarily pursued either from the perspective of faith (everything that happens is God's will and must be for Divine purpose) or of reason (What do these events mean to you, as you interpret them subjectively?). Infuriated by the reaction by some members of the church to a horrible loss of life from an earthquake in Lisbon, Voltaire wrote this hard-biting satire of the human condition to explore these questions. Before reading further, let me share a word of caution. This book is filled with human atrocities of the most gruesome sort. Anything that you can imagine could occur in war, an Inquisition, or during piracy happens in this book. If you find such matters distressing (as many will, and more should), this book will be unpleasant reading. You should find another book to read. The book begins as Candide is raised in the household of a minor noble family in Westphalia, where he is educated by Dr. Pangloss, a student of metaphysical questions. Pangloss believes that this is the best of all possible worlds and deeply ingrains that view into his pupil. Candide is buoyed by that thought as he encounters many setbacks in the course of the book as he travels through many parts of Europe, Turkey, and South America. All is well for Candide until he falls in love with the Baron's daughter and is caught kissing her hand by the Baron. The Baron immediately kicks Candide out of the castle (literally on the backside), and Candide's wanderings begin. Think of this as being like expulsion from the Garden of Eden for Adam. Soon the penniless Candide finds himself in the Bulgarian army, and receiving lots of beatings while he learns to drill. The story grows more far-fetched with each subsequent incident. To the casual reader, this exaggeration can seem unnecessary and annoying. It will remind you of the most extreme parts of Swift in Gulliver's Travels and Rabelais in Gargantua and Pantagruel. But subtly, Voltaire is using the exaggeration to lure the reader into making complacent judgments about complacency itself that Voltaire wants to challenge. The result is a deliciously ironical work that undermines complacency at a more fundamental level than I have seen done elsewhere. Basically, Candide challenges any view you have about complacency that is defined in terms of the world-view of those who are complacent. Significant changes of circumstances (good and ill) occur to all of the members of the Baron's household over the course of the story. Throughout, there is much comparing of who has had the worst luck, with much feeling sorry for oneself. That is the surface story. Voltaire is, however, a master of misdirection. Beneath the surface, Voltaire has another purpose for the book. He also wants to expose the reader to questioning the many bad habits that people have that make matters worse for everyone. The major themes of these undercurrents are (1) competing rather than to cooperating, (2) employing inhumane means to accomplish worldly (and many spiritual) ends, (3) following expected rules of behavior to show one's superiority over others that harm and degrade others, (4) focusing on money and power rather than creating rich human relationships, (5) hypocritical behavior, and (6) pursuing ends that society approves of rather than ends that please oneself. By the end of the story, the focus shifts again to a totally different question: How can humans achieve happiness? Then, you have to reassess what you thought about the book and what was going on in Voltaire's story. Many readers will choose to reread the book to better capture Voltaire's perspective on that final question, having been surprised by it. Candide is one of my favorite books because it treats important philosophical questions in such an unusual way. Such unaccustomed matching of treatment and subject matters leaves an indelible impression that normal philosophical arguments can never match. Voltaire also has an amazing imagination. Few could concoct such a story (even by using illegal substances to stimulate the subconscious mind). I constantly find myself wondering what he will come up with next. The story is so absurd that it penetrates the consciousness at a very fundamental level, almost like doing improvisation. In so doing, Voltaire taps into that feeling of "what else can happen?" that overcomes us when we are at our most pessimistic. So, gradually you will find yourself identifying with the story -- even though nothing like this could ever happen to you. Like a good horror story, you are also relieved that you can read about others' troubles and can put your own into perspective. This last point is the fundamental humanity of the story. You see what a wonderful thing a kind word, a meal, or a helping hand can be. That will probably inspire you to offer those empathic actions more often. After you have finished Candide, I suggest that you ask yourself where complacency about your life and circumstances is costing you and those you care about the potential for more health, happiness, peace, and prosperity. Then take Voltaire's solution, and look around you for those who enjoy the most of those four wonderful attributes. What do those people think and do differently from you?
Rating:
Summary: Waste of Time
Review: I read this for school several weeks ago, and was very disappointed. I felt so jipped after I read it that I actually NEEDED to read a better book. I went with Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire.
To be honest, I think it was a valiant effort at good political satire, but there was absolutely no skill to the storytelling. This made disconnected me from the entire story. I laughed at only one point in the book.
One thing that fascinated me was the fact that his criticisms of far superior liturary talents actually described exactly the way I felt about this book. It was certainly nowhere near Gullivers Travels and unworthy to lick the a*s of A Modest Proposal.
If you want good, more modern, social satire that's hilarious, gracefully told, and mindboggling entertaining, you'd be much better off reading Douglas Adams' The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It excells in all the areas Candide failed. I would much rather hear the thoughts of a newborn sperm whale plummeting toward the ground ("Will the ground be my friend") than hear an old woman drone on about how pirates ate her butt cheek (believe me it's not as funny as it sounds).
Rating:
Summary: The best of all possible adventures
Review: I'm naturally biased towards this particular edition, since it was translated by my History of the Enlightenment professor, but even putting aside which edition it might be, it's a witty, funny, timeless story mixing adventure in with Enlightenment philosophy and Voltaire's views on a whole myriad of subjects. It's even alleged to be translated from the German notes of "Dr. Ralph," so that his detractors might not guess right away whom the true author was, much like Montesquieu's classic 'The Persian Letters' also being in the guise of having been written by someone other than himself. Professor Gordon says in the introduction that, if nothing else, at least this new translation restores Candide's original height to him! He also points out, in the lengthy but far from boring introduction, a number of the sexual puns and innuendos that the reader probably wouldn't realise are dirty puns and sexual comments because the seemingly innocent language doesn't even seem to suggest it, or the pun is lost in translation from the French.
Candide's very name means "pure," and this young man indeed is pure, innocent, and overly trusting, even after he's cheated, robbed, used, and taken advantage of time after time throughout the story. Besides his name, there is also irony in the subtitle, 'Optimism.' The entire story is a prime example of Occum's Razor in action. Everything you could possibly imagine goes wrong for Candide and his friends--being drafted into the Bulgar army, being driven out of the "paradise" of the Thunder-ten-tronck castle in Westphalia (which we know is little more than a hole in the wall!), having their riches stolen, being caught in the Lisbon earthquake, they're exiled, forced to flee for their lives, they're taken prisoners, caught in the Inquisition, you name it. Candide innocently goes through all of these many trials out of his love for Cunégonde, who in his sweetness and purity he doesn't realise is a whore. But because of the oft-repeated phrase of his wise tutor Dr. Pangloss, he believes that "all events are linked together in this best of all possible worlds," and doesn't see Cunégonde, or any of the other bad things or unscrupulous people around him, as what they truly are. Only when he finally gets Cunégonde back does he realise that it was worth more trouble than it was worth, and only holds up to his promise to marry her because she presses him so strongly and because he wants to humiliate Cunégonde's smug brother. Even the ending, which by all accounts seems like a happy life for Candide and his friends, is laden with constant wondering why they're doing what they're doing, how things might have been different if some of the things they went through hadn't happened or had happened in different ways.
|
