Indeed, in my (and nothing but humble) opinion, reading and writing satire is one of the greatest pleasures known in the literary realm. This in no way implies that satire is easy to write, because nothing is further from the truth. Many people think that satire and comedy are synonymous. It should be noted that […]
Tag Archives: Candide
This paper is a short essay addressing the protagonist of Voltaire’s conte, Candide, and his (Candide’s) enlightenment to the fallacies of the philosophy of Optimism. This relatively short novelette provided Voltaire a platform to satire Leibniz’s Optimism as well as incorporate some of Voltaire’s other views on life. The key questions addressed by this paper […]
The world was in turmoil there in 1700. Wars were fought, corruption was rampant, and a wave of philosophers began to question the social order in the thought we now know as the Enlightenment. Most people, when they read their opinions from the torrent of ideas flooding in such a world, could quietly reflect and […]
The tone and theme of Candide, a classic work of literature, create new relevance for today’s world. These two elements of the story bring the classic to life for new generations to relate to when they read it. The satirical story connects a new generation of modern readers with the distant past, with both the […]
With the news at the time of this writing that even ubiquitous bookseller chain Borders is having problems in America’s sagging economy–you know that booksellers in general are in big trouble in the age of Walmart eating up the world…one store at a time. And Walmart doesn’t even have a comprehensive collection of books (and […]
Candide is a story of the forlorn misadventures of a Baron’s illegitimate nephew. At an early age, he adopts an unconquerable optimistic view of the world from his tutor, the obdurate Pangloss. Throughout the insufferable torment of their lives, Candide and Pangloss manage to retain their oft-discredited philosophy. Voltaire, the author of the book, wrote […]
Candide is a philosophical book published by Voltaire in Geneva in January 1759. Voltaire’s life was republished in the twenties, one of the most successful French literary works. First published anonymously in 1759, Candide was then attributed to “Lord Doctor Ralph” in 1761, following a reshuffling of the text by Voltaire. This title should immediately […]
The Enlightenment, which usually is described as having taken place during the 18th century, helped to fabricate the momentum which led to so many of today’s modern ideologies. The theme of reform, and individualism greatly led the way through these times, helping the individual spirits of Europe to break free from the medieval customs, but, […]