Candide and Other Stories (World's Classics)

In a thin volume, Voltaire puts forth what I would call a tour de force on the philosophy of optimism. Much of this is critique, no doubt; it is trivial to see how this clearly isn't the best of all possible worlds, and all things clearly don't happen for the best. There are innumerable places throughout the story where bad things happen that outright make things worse, despite any silver lining Candide can find in it, and it is entirely conceivable that the bad things did not need to happen.

That said, Voltaire does not treat things pessimistically. No one really "bottoms out" in the end, and Candide is able to make a living for himself and his friends and family that is good enough. Certainly, it isn't the extravagance of the Baron's manor or the hospitality of El Dorado, but he is able to engage in his favourite activity of philosophizing, make a living with his own labour, and exist without undue hardship.

Candide may not be entirely happy with this, but how many of his companions did he leave for dead along the way and find again? How many times was he on the brink of utter disaster? Happiness is relative, in many ways, and while Candide could never reach the best of all possible worlds he could at least carve out a good enough one for himself.

I have never read a book that fashions itself a satire so devoid of subtly. The concept must have been foreign to Voltaire, as aesthetics very much were. For this book is formulaic beyond belief. Voltaire shows us something he deems grotesque, immoral, unjust, and then goes on to show us that there are people who believe that "this is the best of all possible worlds". Wow, what a keen insight, Voltaire! What a salient point! Well, he must have thought it salient enough to keep repeating it for 120 pages straight. I could practically smell it while reading. It was in the air. That smell of righteous semen from all the mental masturbation. Voltaire is the type of guy to ram a stake up his ass if it somehow could demonstrate to others how virtuous of a person he is. He would try, but he could not do it, because his head is already so far up his ass, when he eats, the food gets confused by the whole loop he managed to set up. At this point, does he need oxygen to live or is the consumption of his own farts adequate enough? I suspect we will never know the answer, but we could guess decently well.

The novel is about Candide, an extreme optimist who, along the journey, has his optimism worn down, until him and his friends find satisfaction in a simpler life.

The novel is very silly, a lot of good hoots to be had. The Old Woman With One Buttock and Martin the Philosopher are particularly funny sketches. Still, the characters are intentionally paper-thin plot devices.

Candide answered: —I have seen worse; but a wise man, who has since had the misfortune to be hanged, taught me that everything was marvelously well arranged. Troubles are just the shadows in a beautiful picture.

—Your hanged philosopher was joking, said Martin; the shadows are horrible ugly blots.

They make a trip to the legendary city of El Dorado, a utopia without suffering or conflict. That whole event was my favorite part. I think it's a statement about how people don't want what is good for them, even if it's right under their noses. They prefer the old way of life, to uphold old memories.

It's a fast paced book that doesn't take time to smell the roses. Voltaire writes like a scriptwriter, and a slurry of action inundates you. I'd say that the read itself isn't too bad. Since I read it in English instead of the French, it probably lost some flavor in translation.

Taken as a historical piece of fiction, it's insightful to study and you can tell the author is well read, but it's not a literary masterpiece. I think in an age where comedy standups and TV weren't as accessible as today, Voltaire filled the niche of a celebrity jester.

Candide has lived a pretty sheltered life in an Edenic paradise, madly in love with the Baron’s daughter Cunégonde. His mentor Professor Pangloss taught him the ways of optimism but his adventures may challenge his life philosophy. Candide is a satire from Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. The book enjoyed much success, as well as a lot of controversy, being banned for religious blasphemy.

“Everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.”
In Candide, Voltaire sets out to challenge the philosophical ideas of optimism, particularly the works of Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz. Essentially he used a stripped down idea of optimism and explores it from a religious perspective. The idea is simply, if there is evil in the world would that be a sign that God is not entirely good or not all-powerful?

While Voltaire wrote Candide as a parody of the classic adventure tales, it also satirised organised religion. This was the main reason the novel got banned. Throughout the book all the religious leaders were either corrupt or hypocritical and you even encounter the Pope’s own daughter within the story. Most of the Catholic priests are never celibate, the hard-line Inquisitor has a mistress, and there is a friar who is a thief, despite the fact he is a member of the Franciscan order and has taken a vow of poverty.

For me, the connection between optimism and religion was what stood out the most in Candide. The whole concept of “everything will work out for the best” reminded me of the flawed thinking of some Christians. I grew up in the church, and I have heard people say things like “God will heal me” and never go to a doctor, or “God will provide” and never look for a job. I always thought this was a terrible attitude and a misunderstanding of the Bible. So while reading Candide, I saw this come through so many time and I really enjoyed that element.

This novel was a buddy read with a fellow booktuber (Shut Your Typeface) and her problem was the sexual exploitation of women within Candide. For me I thought Voltaire was trying to demonstrate a real situation effecting woman. The problem with having mistresses, rape, sexual slavery and still wanting women to be chaste and virtuous. I really do think he was trying to show a real problem that is effecting woman; all the women in the book were victims of some form of sexual assault. I might have viewed it one way but I can see how it could be interpreted as chauvinistic and disrespectful towards woman.

There are so many other themes that show up within Candide, from resurrection, wealth, and class. So many interesting topics worth exploring, but I did not want to make this review too long. I would love to talk about the parody of adventure tales, the humour and other themes but maybe I will leave them for the next review I do of this book, after a re-read. Candide was a very interesting and surprisingly easy to read. I had a lot of fun checking this novel out and looking at the depth to be found within the pages.

This review originally appeared on my blog; www.knowledgelost.org/book-reviews/genre/classic/candide-or-optimism-by-voltaire/