Engraving published as the frontispiece to Voltaire's "A Philosophical Dictionary". London: W. Dugdale (16 Holywell Street, Strand), 1843. From Biola University Library Call No. B42 .V6 1843 This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years. Source: Wikimedia Commons | Update 1 covering Chapters 1-8 of Voltaire's Candide Read Along hosted by Exploring Classics. Starting with some background information for this short satirical story. Born as François-Marie Arouet in 1694 to a wealthy notary/lawyer in Paris and educated by Jesuits in Paris. His father had hoped he would follow his footsteps in the legal field, Arouet had no desire for this and wanted to write. After being released in 1718 from his first stint inprisioned in the Bastille he publicly changed his name to Voltaire. He was suspected of writing a satirical view on the Regent. He did a second stint in the Bastille and spent the next two and a half years (1726-1728) in England. He returned to France, renewed with life, proceeding to write the Letters Concerning the English Nation (1733). This was a critical look at his views on the French government, causing the book to be banned from sale in France. Voltaire is considered one of the great philosophers from the period of Enlightenment, he would likely consider himself a deist. Voltaire, expecting trouble from publishing Candide in 1759, did so using the pseudonym M. Le Docteur Ralph. He also published simultaneously in the big three publishing cities at the time, Geneva, Paris and Amsterdam to gain the most exposure before it was pirated. I didn't realize book pirating was a big worry in 1759. That being said, apparently he was right to be worried, as over twenty editions popped up in 1759, alone, after publication. In doing some background reading I came across information regarding the play on names Voltaire used. In simple terms, the names chosen represent a nationality or race. Using the name Vanderdendur, de la dent dure, meaning 'of the hard tooth' for a hard-bargaining Dutch merchant. Main characters, such as Pangloss have a deeper meaning. Derived from the two Greek words pan and glossa, all and tongue respectively. Telling us Pangloss is 'all tongue' or 'all talk'. In contrast Candide, taking from the Latin term candidus, depicts white and pure, extending into honesty. |
We are introduced to Candide, a young boy, living in a fine castle belonging to Baron von Thunder-ten-tronckh. Candide is believed to be the son of the Baron's sister. He has fallen for the Baron's daughter, Cunégonde and decides the mere sight of her each day is pure bliss. The Baron employs a Maître Pangloss as tutor, filling Candide's young impressionable mind with metaphysico-tehologico-cosmo-nigology. Don't ask me to attempt to say that word, for it is a mouthful. 'Nigology' is derived from niguard, having meanings such as idiot, booby, and impecile. Cunégonde has witnessed Pangloss experimenting in the name of science with a housemaid and her interest has been peaked. She catches Candide off-guard and exchanges a kiss with him, so much for young love as the Baron spied this kiss. Being that Candide was not of the proper class for his daughter he was booted right out of the castle and left to wander the countryside on his own.
We get a taste for Voltaire's satirical side as we read this passage that shows the learnings are young Candide has been taught.
Date: 18th-Century Candide, ou l'Optimisme (Paris : Sirène) 1759 Artist: Unknown This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years. Source: Wikimedia Commons | He 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. Voltaire's notes refer to panglossie, a term he used to accuse people 'who speak in order to say nothing'. This would point us towards how he feels about apostles in his time. Candide is a young blank sheet of white paper, naively taking in all that Pangloss has to offer. As Candide is wandering, he is an easy target for being tricked into military service, following two men dressed in blue that had offered to buy him a meal. Not realizing that going for a stroll to stretch your legs might not be such a good idea while in the military, he is snatched up for going AWOL and given two wonderful choices for his court martial punishment. to be flogged by the entire regiment thirty-six times, or receive twelve lead bullets in his skull simultaneously. |
As he stumbles his way into Holland he first runs into an orator that asks him if the Pope is the Anti-Christ, a view held by orthodox Calvinists. Candide is clueless as to this statement, and is thanked for his naivety by the orator's wife dumping a full chamber pot on him. ICK. Here he meets the Anabaptist, Jacques that takes him under his wing, Anabaptist are a group of Protestants that view infant baptism as not valid, because only an adult can choose Christianity. Candide stumbles upon his tutor Pangloss, he has been turned from the elegant man he knew into a beggar suffering the ill effects of syphilis from the chambermaid he was 'experimenting' with. Pangloss tells Candide how he has come to Holland, by the terrible fate of the Baron's castle being stormed and Cunégonde having been raped, disenbowled and left to die from the soldiers. Candide faints from this news.
'Oh Pangloss!' cried Candide, 'what a strange genealogy is this! Surely the devil is its source?' - 'Not in the least, ' replied that great man. 'It is an indispensable feature of the best of all possible worlds, a necessary ingredient: for if Columbus, on an island off the Americas, had not contracted this disease - which poisons the source of all procreation, and often even prevents procreation, contrary though this be to nature's great plan - we would have neither chocolate nor cochineal; it should be noted moreover that so far the disease, like religious controversy, has been peculiar to the inhabitants of our continent. |
The three set sail to Lisbon, only to arrive during the great earthquake of 1755. The tsunami causes havoc on the seas and Jacques the Anabaptist is lost overboard, only three men survive the shipwreck to make it ashore, Pangloss, Candide and the sailor that Jacques saved. Lisbon has been two-thirds destroyed by the earthquake and subsequent fires and tsunami, leaving the townspeople in a complete disarray. An Inquisition was called and Candide and Pangloss were rounded up as foreigners. Pangloss paid for this with his life while Candide watched him be hanged and others burned alive. Candide, took another flogging and was nursed back to health by a strange elder woman. This older woman took him to meet the love of his life, Cunégonde, who had actually escaped death, but had been raped and disemboweled. She told him she had been favored by a Jew, Don Issacar, that saved her, but the Inquisitor felt she was above the stature of Don Issacar and that he should have her. The two decide to share her, and have both been trying to win her favor, which she has continued to repel.
Discussion Questions from Exploring Classics, host of Candide read-along, week 1 post.
Do you think Pangloss is a predatory figure or merely naive like Candide? In other words, is Pangloss deliberately trying to lead others astray or does he actually believe in the philosophy of optimism?
I think Pangloss truly believes in his philosophy, he continued to stand by it, even as he was faced with syphilis. If he had only acted his beliefs to gain the trust of the Baron for his job he would have surely given it up when the soldiers stormed the castle and started taking lives. He would have quickly changed beliefs to fall in good graces with the new ruler.
How do you feel about Voltaire’s writing style? Do you find this book funny or disturbing?
Being how short the story is we aren't getting a lot of character development. When a book lacks character development it is hard to connect and find yourself rooting for one character or another. His descriptions are short and to the point, but you do have to look hard to catch all the satire since I am so far removed from the feelings of France in the 1750's. If you were living during his time you probably would have a great understanding without thinking about what Voltaire was trying to say. While raping and disemboweling people are certainly not pleasant happenings, historically speaking, this type of behavior happened so I don't find it any more disturbing than when I read a history book.
Who is your favorite character, thus far?
Being the lack of much character development has happened to this point, I did like Jacques and was sad to see him leave the story so quickly. He might have been able to teach Candide to look outside his safety box and start trying to formulate a world view of his own. I am curious to see how Cunégonde develops as a character, she may have a spark of life in her that could prove interesting, She was curious about science and has been able to make it for the last six months on her own while managing the Jew and the Inquisitor.
Quotes from: Candide, or Optimism, by Voltaire, Translated by Theo Cuffe, Introduction by Michael Wood
Publisher: Penguin Group (2013)
Source: Personal Library
Format Read: Kindle - ASIN: B00EK28X1C
Genres: Classic, Satire
[Notice: Original posting 2014-03-12 at Plethora of Books Blog: http://bookchallenges.weebly.com]
Tags: Read-Alongs; Candide