Customer Reviews

Penguin Classics Candide Or Optimism

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Candide (optimism), first published in 1759, has a lot to do with destiny, and how everything in preordained. Thus, whatever you do to try to change your life, you cannot possibly change it. If you are meant to meet a specific person, no matter what the situation is, you will run into them.

This satire is the most unique story I have ever read; I did not know such stories even existed. The protagonist, Candide, is very optimistic, and believes that everything that happens is for the best. Candide is a classic and should be read by everyone; it is very short and can be completed within a few hours.

Read this Bantam Classics's translation of Candide, which I found to be very good.

The style of exposition used in this book is reminiscent of The Misfortunes of Virtue by the Marquis de Sade. Voltaire presents a catalog of calamities meant to debunk the belief that our world is perfect, and that everything happens "for the best" according to some divine plan. While there is no doubt that Candide is persuasive in its comical misadventures, the style gets old just as it did in The Misfortunes of Virtue. The story becomes a trite joke that loses its potency with each subsequent catastrophe, so that half way through the novel the reader no longer cares what befalls Candide and begins to pray that some benevolent deity will put him out of his (and our) misery. If I were not so thoroughly desensitized to tragedy, and had I not already come to the philosophical conclusions that Voltaire is trying to lead his reader, than I might have found the novel to be more profound. Still the novel is well written, reads quickly if you ignore the endnotes*, and is fairly entertaining.

The worst part of this novel is the numerous jabs that Voltaire throws at his contemporary rivals, which I found to be completely annoying. If the author chooses to use his novel as a means of disseminating propaganda against his opponents so be it, but don't expect it to translate well into a time when you and all those other characters are long since dead. Attacking ridiculous ideas is one thing, but forcing the reader (ME) to endure century old grudges through less than subtle personal attacks is something entirely different. Even after reading the "titillating tidbits" supplied by the annotator -- e.g. "The Journal de Trevoux, founded in 1701, was a Jesuit periodical hostile to Voltaire" or "Gabriel Gauchat, a contemporary critic hostile to Voltaire and the Encyclopedists" -- I still have no clue what or who Voltaire is attacking.

* Every time I was compelled to read an endnote just to find out that Voltaire was referencing some long forgotten Frenchmen I wanted to fling the book across the room.

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?

I had some hesitation about reading Candide but I found that this book has mirrored my own thoughts on how life is. That things aren't for the greater good, that with courage and persiverance that we can achieve our goals. That; it is best to cultivate one's own garden.

One thing; this book is very, very French. It is very Moliere, Diderot, etc. styled. It is ludicruous in some spots and so over the top.

Wonderful book.

I loved this book the first time I read it in college. But after re-reading it, I've concluded that while Voltaire has a lot going on in this story, there is a simple formula directing the action: Candide meets some people. They do him wrong somehow. On the verge of death Candide escapes. Rinse, repeat.

I still love reading the early chapters, they are comical masterpieces. I see Cunegonde in an entirely different light now than when I was younger. Candide and Pangloss are still naive morons, of course. And I have new found appreciation for Martin.

Overall, Candide is great fun, but can get repetitious. Best read in one sitting.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Voltaire's Candide. Voltaire's use of satire and irony creates timeless humor that can be appreciated by many readers. Candide, Voltaire's protagonist, is not necessarily a character with whom readers would relate. Like most of the characters in the novel, Candide is a caricature, an exaggeration of optimism, ignorance, and naïve views. Voltaire proves through his novel that sometimes the best way to make a lasting effect on one's audience is to show something in its most blatant form. Voltaire's sarcasm and ridicule of a particular party or stereotype can seem a bit harsh at times. However, I think that Voltaire felt the combination of humor and tough criticism was the best way to bring to light his own disgust with hypocrisy within the church and government. The situations and conflicts that Voltaire places his characters in produce surprising illustrations of issues of the 1700's, such as war, poverty, and prostitution. Although this novel was written nearly 250 years ago, striking parallels can be drawn between the issues that Voltaire comments on and the issues that authors of our time choose to focus on in their literature.

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

Voltaire's Candide is Perhaps the best satire ever written. It was the silly blind optimism and indifferent response to human suffering and injustice of his era that Voltaire mocked. Through the antics of his tutor Dr Pangloss ' a metaphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigologist' no less, Voltaire attacked much received wisdom and was not afraid to confront the dark aspects of human nature honestly.

Nonetheless, He believed in democratic enlightenment, the power of science and reason to make a better world.

His message is still prescient to this day.

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.

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.