Candide by Voltaire
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About this Public Domain Book
This full text of Candide has entered the public domain in the UK and is now freely available. It may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted without any restrictions. We are providing it for free distribution and use by individuals for non-commercial purposes. Please note that the copyright status in other countries may vary, so it is advisable to check the copyright laws of your specific jurisdiction before reproducing, distributing, or transmitting the text.
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First published: January 1759
Number of Words: 36,000
Avg. Time to Read: 2 - 3 hours
Description:
Published in 1759, Candide by François-Marie Arouet (who wrote under the pen name Voltaire) has become one of the great works of the Age of Enlightenment. The novella follows the adventures of its naive protagonist Candide and his tutor Pangloss as they encounter misfortunes across Europe and South America. Voltaire uses these characters and their experiences to critique both the theology of Leibnizian optimism espoused by Pangloss and the brutality of the world at large.
Though a satire, Candide explores serious philosophical themes through its farcical plot. Candide is raised in the German castle of the Baron of Thunder-ten-Tronckh, where his tutor Pangloss teaches him that they live in “the best of all possible worlds.” But Candide is soon expelled and sets off on a journey across the continents, witnessing natural disasters, wars, and atrocities that undermine Pangloss’ optimistic worldview. Voltaire uses these events to challenge Leibniz’s metaphysical theory that God created the optimal universe. Candide encounters poverty, violence, disease and injustice throughout his travels, disproving Pangloss’ belief that all is for the best.
Some of the most memorable scenes in Candide involve graphic violence and satire of contemporary institutions and figures. After an earthquake destroys Lisbon in 1755, Candide flees to South America, where he encounters the Inquisition and is nearly hanged. He then witnesses slavery on a Brazilian plantation, encounters cannibalism, and more. Voltaire uses such vivid scenes to criticize religious persecution and the mistreatment of indigenous peoples under colonial rule. By the end of Candide’s adventures, he and Pangloss have been disabused of their naïve optimism through brutal experience of reality.
The novella concludes with Candide rejecting his tutor’s philosophy and deciding to simply cultivate his garden in the countryside. This ambiguous ending is open to interpretation, but many see it as Voltaire advocating for practical philosophy focused on individual happiness rather than grand metaphysical systems. Published just two years before Voltaire’s death, Candide shocked many with its brutal satire but became one of his most famous and influential works, helping disseminate Enlightenment ideas across Europe. It remains a classic of Western literature and philosophy.
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