Summary of Candide by Voltaire , livre ebook

GetAbstract AG

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

9 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

Humankind lives in “the best of all possible worlds.” This is the philosophy and firm belief of Pangloss, Candide’s tutor, which he passes on to his pupil. Yet the concept is severely tested as the young (and naive) hero stumbles from one (mis)adventure to the next in a quest to win the hand of his beloved Cunégonde. Candide is thrown out of his home, forced to join the army, almost burned at the stake, hunted, abused, tortured, beaten, almost killed during an earthquake and taken prisoner several times. In the end, even overly optimistic Candide has to admit defeat, giving up on all philosophical discourse and instead turning to a life of working the land. Voltaire’s novel questions and ridicules the philosophy of optimism by juxtaposing it with the cruel realities of life and showcasing the brutality and callousness of humanity. With Candide, Voltaire created one of the darkest – albeit hilarious – satires of world literature. Candide’s relentless optimism in the face of the inhumanity of the human race, will leave you wondering whether to laugh or cry.

This summary of Candide was produced by getAbstract, the world's largest provider of book summaries. getAbstract works with hundreds of the best publishers to find and summarize the most relevant content out there. Find out more at getabstract.com.

Sujets

Classics

Fiction

Informations

Publié par	GetAbstract AG
Date de parution	30 septembre 2019
Nombre de lectures	7
EAN13	9798887270098
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0250€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Candide
Or Optimism
Voltaire•First edition: Geneva 1759

Satire
Enlightenment

Take-Aways Candide , Voltaire’s best-known work, is an adventure story, a picaresque novel and a satire – all rolled into one. The young and naive Candide stumbles from one (mis)adventure to the next, including fighting in wars, being arrested, being nearly burned at the stake, finding El Dorado and leaving it. On his journey, his belief that this world is “the best of all possible worlds” is severely tested. Through Candide’s unquestioning trust in his optimistic tutor’s Pangloss’s lessons, Voltaire mocks “ivory tower” philosophers. The 1755 earthquake that destroyed Lisbon and the Seven Years’ War dramatically changed Voltaire’s outlook on life. The former optimist became a cynical pessimist. Candide was originally censored for its offensive content, including religious blasphemy, political sedition and intellectual hostility. Candide influenced the works of contemporary black humorists such as Joseph Heller, John Barth, Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut and Terry Southern. The novel demonstrates a contrast between style and subject matter. The characters talk about the vilest deeds and human sentiments, but they do so in naive and simple terms. Voltaire was born François-Marie Arouet. He adopted his nom de plume in 1718. Voltaire became involved in Parisian high society, where his dark humor and knack for mocking authority eventually got him into trouble. He was sentenced to prison twice and was exiled to England for several years. “If this is the best of all possible worlds, then what must the others be like?”

What It’s About
Humankind lives in “the best of all possible worlds.” This is the philosophy and firm belief of Pangloss, Candide’s tutor, which he passes on to his pupil. Yet the concept is severely tested as the young (and naive) hero stumbles from one (mis)adventure to the next in a quest to win the hand of his beloved Cunégonde. Candide is thrown out of his home, forced to join the army, almost burned at the stake, hunted, abused, tortured, beaten, almost killed during an earthquake and taken prisoner several times. In the end, even overly optimistic Candide has to admit defeat, giving up on all philosophical discourse and instead turning to a life of working the land. Voltaire’s novel questions and ridicules the philosophy of optimism by juxtaposing it with the cruel realities of life and showcasing the brutality and callousness of humanity. With Candide , Voltaire created one of the darkest – albeit hilarious – satires of world literature. Candide’s relentless optimism in the face of the inhumanity of the human race, will leave you wondering whether to laugh or cry.

Summary
Pangloss’s Philosophy
The young, naive and honest Candide , the bastard son of Baron Thunder-ten- T ronckh ’s sister, grows up in the baron’s castle in Westphalia. The tutor at court, Pangloss , is a firm believer in the philosophy of metaphysico-theologico-cosmo-codology, and impressionable Candide soaks up Pangloss’s every word. Pangloss’s main philosophy is that everything is always for the best and everything is made (or happens) for a purpose. He claims, for example, that people have been given noses, so they can wear glasses and that stones exist to build castles. Since everything happens for a good reason, the world in which people live is “the best of all possible worlds.”
Exiled from the Castle
Candide falls in love with Cunégonde , the baron’s beautiful daughter, and he succeeds in wooing her. However, when the baron discovers them kissing behind a folding screen, he throws Candide out of the castle. Dejected and close to starvation, Candide eventually meets two men who offer him a meal. Candide, joining them and stilling his hunger, sees his belief in the goodness of the world confirmed. But then the two men sell him to the Bulgar army, where he is beaten daily until he learns the drills. One day, he goes for a walk but quickly learns that he isn’t allowed to do as he pleases. Four of the soldiers catch him, and he is made to run the gauntlet 36 times. He manages two. Half-dead, Candide asks the soldiers to bash his head in, but the king of the Bulgars passes by and decides to pardon him. Candide recovers and remains in the army. He soon finds himself in the middle of a war against the Abars. Shocked by the atrocities of battle – men bayoneted, women raped, villages burned to ashes – he decides to run away.
Reunion with Pangloss
Candide escapes to Holland. Close to starvation and without any money, he begs a man who is lecturing on charity for some food. All he receives, however, are the contents of a night pot, which the speaker’s wife empties on his head. An Anabaptist called Jacques sees h

Univers
Ebooks
Livres audio
Presse
Podcasts
BD
Documents

Summary of Candide by Voltaire , livre ebook

Classics

Fiction

YouScribe

Le catalogue

Le service

Les conditions