Download Candide, French Edition eBook

Voltaire had an interesting and sometimes tumultuous relation with "The Church" and religious thought of his time. In Candide, he takes great pains to ridicule the writings of both Milton and Alexander Pope, more specifically the latter in An Essay on Man, in which both writers attempt to "vindicate the ways of God to man". To understand this, or better, to have read these writings will further illuminate what Voltaire is attempting in Candide.
Candide is the protagonist and is a seemingly good-hearted but rather simple fellow whose mentor, Pangloss, teaches him that no matter what happens it is always for the best. As a note, pay attention to each of the main characters names as they seem to me to have a descriptive quality to them, e.g. Pan, meaning "all" and gloss from the Greek glossa, meaning tongue, to get a name that roughly means "all talk".
The story begins with Candide and his love interest being suddenly separated and the events of his life from there. What follows in the story is a series of horrible events mixed with some virtuous ones that Pangloss continuously explains to Candide that whatever happens is for the best.
Even if you have no philosophical interest, the book is both funny and sad, entertaining yet thought provoking with a couple of memorable passages. I consider it a pretty good read and, as a bonus, a quick one.

The lesson from this story is that; Kings and Queens lose kingdoms and thrones, knights lose honors and reputation, reduced to commoners, Officials lose offices and privileges, the rich squander money on food, pleasures and material artifacts in the hope of buying happiness that is never found. Asking too many questions about why is life the way it is, why are things the way they, why events the way they is another waste of time that reveal none of the answers sought and aspired to or sought. The end result of the rapid events and tragedies in Voltaire`s Candid, Is that the key to enjoy life is to be content with what you have, and content with you have is in the simplest and least desired things in life. A small piece of land with a small country house, will give you more pleasure, serenity, honor and peace of mind, in ploughing the land and eating what simple product it may yield, than all the kingdoms and riches of life!

I first saw the musical adaptation of "Candide" on Broadway, in the 1970's, and loved it. I decided to do it justice by reading Voltaire's original novel, and lo! The book has an entire story well beyond the musical adaptation! I found it to be not only instructive, nut enlightening, with a message that applies to the modern world as well. It is funny, pitiful, and a fast read, worthy of any educated individual, especially in our senior years.
Recommended.

Francois-Marie Arouet (1694--1778), who later took the name of Voltaire, was the illegitimate son of a wealthy notary and his mother who died when he was seven years of old. He was educated at a Jesuit school in Paris. His father wanted him to study the law, but he was determined on a literary career. Voltaire was the friend and guest of Friedrich the Great of Prussia. He wrote many plays, essays and poetry and was a great success. In 1758, at the age of 64, he wrote his masterpiece--Candide or Optimism.

Candide tells the story of "a young boy (illegitimate like Voltaire) on whom nature had bestowed the gentlest of dispositions. His countenance expressed his soul. He combined solid judgement with complete openness of mind; which is the reason, I believe, that he was called Candide." The picaresque novel follows the adventures and tribulations of Candide through the world.
In the very fist chapter, he is kicked out of the Westphalian castle of Monsieur the Baron von Thunder-ten-tron for kissing his true love, the 17 year-old daughter of the Baron and Baroness--the beautiful Cunegonde.

Dr. Pangloss, who is Candide's tutor, "could prove to wonderful effect that there was no effect without cause, and that, in this best of all possible worlds, his Lordship the Baron's castle was the finest of castles and Her ladyship the best of all possible baronesses." Pangloss is an optimist. Through the Pangloss character Voltaire satirizes the Leibnizian doctrine that this is the best of all possible worlds. Leibniz argued that an omnipotent and benevolent God could not have created a world that was anything other than the best of all possible worlds.

Moreover, Pangloss is a Utopian socialist who parrots Rousseau's Discourse on the Origins of Inequality, 1755. After her jewels and money are stolen, Cunegonde asks, "'What shall we live on? How will we manage?'...'The good Pangloss often demonstrated to me,' said Candide with a sigh, 'that the things of this world are common to all men, and that everyone has an equal right to them.'"

The remainder of the book demonstrates the folly of Pangloss' s philosophy. It ultimately becomes a disquisition on the nature of evil. How can the reality of evil in the world be reconciled with the existence of a divine and omnipotent creator?

This is simply one of my favorite books of all time.

Christopher Kelly is the author of America Invades: How We've Invaded or been Militarily Involved with almost Every Country on Earth and Italy Invades.

The irony of our world is not lost on Voltaire; instead he turns it into a novel for the ages. The themes that abound in Candide are timeless. Optimism, pessimism, catastrophe, love, loss, triumph - we follow Candide through a whirlwind of experiences that would fill 100 lifetimes, and instead are all encompassed in one. Though his plights are borderline ridiculous, and every scenario is the extreme version of itself, they are nonetheless relatable. Someone hits it rich - perhaps not with one hundred pounds of diamonds, but the effect is the same. Someone loses their looks - perhaps they do not go from the most beautiful woman in the world to the most ugly, but the effect can be the same.

Voltaire pokes fun at all beliefs before allowing us to see his own - hard work pays off, and is its own reward. Idle hands are the devil's playground. Don't search the world for what you have in your own backyard. These are, at least, what I got from the story. Doubtless you may find something else, as the entire thing, short as it is, is intended for us each to find our own meaning in it.