Candide and Cacambo head out towards Cayenne (capital of French Guiana), only to find themselves battling bad luck along the way. but at every turn there were terrible obstacles in the shape of mountains, rivers, precipices, brigands and savages. Their horses died of fatigue; their provisions ran out; they survived for an entire month on wild fruits, and eventually found themselves by a small river fringed with coconut trees, which kept them alive and sustained their hopes. Cacambo, smart as he is, knows that a river is a life sustaining component of civilization, so naturally if they follow the river, they will find a town. Climbing in a canoe they spied, they allow the currents to take them down river. They find themselves in Eldorado, a sparkling utopia. The ground is littered with gold and gems that the locals view as an everyday rock and are happy to feed the strangers for no payment. They meet a 172-year-old that enlightens them by answering the many questions Candide has for this culture. He specifically asks about their religion, through Cacambo, who translates between the man and Candide. | Tiny and hard to see, but Manoa, o' el Dorado exists just at the top left of the large gray lake (Parime Lacvs). Artist: Hessel Gerritsz Dated: 1625 This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less. Source: Wikimedia Commons |
0 Comments
The host of this April Madame Bovary read-along are Juliana at Cedar Station and C.J. at ebookclassics. Event runs from April 1-30, 2014. Step One: Sign-up by commenting at the master post or linking to your blog post using the widget. (NOTE: Widget will be available on April 1st) Step Two: Grab the button and post it to your blog. [Have to say the buttons/banners are enough to get you to join, very nice, especially like the shoe one.] Step Three: Make a note of our posting schedule. Every week either Juliana or C.J. will host a check-in post with thoughts and discussion questions. Posting Schedule:
Step Four: Twitter Users - Don’t forget to use the hashtag #MadameBovary2014 throughout this event to help other participants find your posts and for informal chats about the book. Step Five: Please visit the blogs of your fellow read-along participants and say hello. The master post will keep an updated list. [Notice: Original posting 2014-03-26 at Plethora of Books Blog: http://bookchallenges.weebly.com] Tags: Read-Alongs; Madame Bovary Update 2 covering Chapters 9-16 of Voltaire's Candide Read Along hosted by Exploring Classics.
This set of chapters certainly should change one's view of Candide. In the previous set he seemed a little meek and lost about the ways of the world, going with the flow and moving as it leads him. These chapters are filled with Candide slaying everything in sight. Losing his meek characteristic that was allowing him to be lead. He now appears hotheaded and quick to react without thinking about the consequences. He starts by slaying both of Cunégonde's owners in the Jew and the Inquistor. Now they must flee, taking the old woman that has been Cunégonde maid they ride out hoping to find safety. Karma comes back to thank Candide's quick slayings by having all the groups means of money stolen from Cunégonde on their journey. Cunégonde plays a drama queen, lamenting at how her life has been the worst and no one can come close to understanding the terrors in her short lifetime. Granted, being raped, disemboweled and watching your family cut up is not a walk in the park, but remember, someone always has it worse off. Thus enters the story of our old maid, she was born with descent, social status and not to be outdone by Cunégonde, she is witness to the death of her family and repeatedly raped as well. She was repeatedly sold as a slave, traveling the world with each new owner. It gets better during one of her enslavements the men left behind to protect the women were hungry, they had already eaten the two inner guards to the concubines. So next comes one buttock cheek from each woman to feed these savage beasts wishing to kill them to squelch their hunger. The three are forced to separate, Candide being the guilty party and must go it alone from Cunégonde and the old lady. Cunégonde as a still young and pleasing to look at lady can easily find safety in another man's house. Candide sets out and with the help of a guide decides to present himself as capable of being a commander for the nearby army. Surprise, none other then Cunégonde's brother is here, wait, wasn't he killed in the attack where she was disemboweled? That would have been too easy, so no, he was barely alive and nursed back to health and here to meet Candide. Candide tells him his dear sisters is alive and that the two of them are to be wed. The brother, Reverend Father Provincial cannot accept that Cunégonde would stoop to the level of Candide for marriage, he is not of acceptable lineage. So hotheaded Candide slays him in an instant. Time to flee again.
Odysseus informs us he has turned down two goddesses that wished to make him into their husband, and left behind their oasis because he only desires to be home. How noble of him, as I suspect he is trying to soften the blow of the upcoming story.
First the warriors decide the spoils of war gathered from Troy were not enough and land at Ismaros and proceed to ravage the city. They slaughtered the people and shared the woman and goods from the city. Slaughtering sheep in a drunken stupor on the beach, they had to fight off a neighboring band of Kikonians. Here the men appear like thugs, stopping, especially to harass this village because they had favored Troy during the war. No good guest-host relationship here! |
Current Short-Term Projects
2014 Yearlong Challenges
Multi-Year Projects
A Few Blogs I Follow |