Candide, or Optimism

Voltaire, 1694-1778Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.8

Word count: 202K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Candide, ou, L'optimisme by VoltaireAuthor: Voltaire, 1694-1778,Language: French, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Nov 1, 2003

Editor's review

Candide, ou L'optimisme is one of Voltaire's best-known philosophical novels, using the hero's turbulent and bizarre adventures to mount a sharp challenge to the "all is for the best" brand of optimism. The narrative moves briskly, the plot is exaggerated and absurd, and the satirical edge never lets up: disasters pile up while the characters are continually consoled by one theory or another, creating a strong contrast. The work is moderate in length and is both a representative of Enlightenment satirical literature and a parable for thinking about suffering, chance, and the human condition. The original French is vivid and varied in sentence structure, suited to close reading by those with some French; beginners can follow a translation to grasp the plot, then return to the original to savor the ironic tone and rhythm. While reading, pay attention to the tension between the narrator's attitude and the characters' arguments—this is the core of the book's intellectual appeal.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with some French who want to read a Voltaire masterpiece
Readers interested in Enlightenment literature, satirical fiction, and intellectual history
Students in university French or comparative literature courses
Readers who enjoy allegorical narrative and are willing to reflect on optimism and suffering

Not a good fit for

Readers who cannot read French at all and do not intend to use a translation
Readers with little tolerance for satire and absurd plotlines
Readers expecting a warm-hearted ending or a conventional coming-of-age story

Reading tips

First learn the basic background of the "optimism" debate, then enter the text.
As you read, note the disasters and the characters' explanations, and observe how the irony is built.
On a first reading, use a reliable translation to follow the plot, then return to the original to savor the language.
After finishing, write a short paragraph with your own judgment and reasons on "whether one should be optimistic."

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for French beginners?

Not really for complete beginners. The sentence structures and ironic tone require some French proficiency to appreciate. Beginners can first read a reliable translation to grasp the plot and ideas, then try the original once their language skills improve, which will be more rewarding.

What does "optimism" in the title mean?

The book satirizes the kind of optimism that holds that "this world must be the best possible." Through the disasters that befall the hero one after another, Voltaire keeps making this view look hollow, leading readers to think about the place of suffering and chance in human life.

Do I need to read other works first?

No. It can be read on its own. To deepen your understanding, you can afterward learn about the Enlightenment debate over optimism and providence, or read other short philosophical tales by Voltaire and compare their satirical techniques and intellectual concerns.

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About the author

Voltaire, 1694-1778 Author

Voltaire (1694–1778) was a highly influential French writer and thinker of the Enlightenment, known for his sharp satire, witty argumentation, and lucid prose. The collection holds 44 of his works, including Candide, ou l'optimisme, Zadig, and Letters on England. Candide uses its protagonist's extraordinary adventures and black humour to question blind optimism; Zadig employs an Oriental tale to explore fate and reason; and Letters on England reflects on French religious and political conditions through observations of English society and thought. Spanning philosophical tales, letters, and essays, these works are concise yet trenchant in language and have had a profound influence on later European literature and the spread of Enlightenment ideas. Because public information is limited, details of his early life and specific biography are not elaborated here.