‫اإلتحاد الطالبي‬
"‫"ما شاء هللا ال قوة إال باهلل‬
‫نسأل هللا الدعاء والتوفيق لصاحبته‬
)‫أم محمد اليافعي (زكاة العلم‬
Candide
The summary of Voltaire’s story
( Candide )
The story begins at the Thunder-ten-Tronckh castle in Germany, from which Candide flees after being
caught making out with Cunégonde. After witnessing the atrocities ‫ األعمال انُحشيت‬of war, Candide and
Pangloss are both taken in by kindly Jacques in Holland. The three find their way to Lisbon, Portugal just in
time for the great earthquake and tsunami that actually occurred there in 1755. Pangloss and Candide must
run away once more, this time with Cunégonde after Candide murders her two powerful slavers. Only
Candide, Cunégonde and the Old Woman make it out of Lisbon and end up in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
where Cunégonde decides it best to marry someone rich. A disappointed Candide then meets Cacambo in
nearby Paraguay, and the pair makes their way to the famous El Dorado, where everything is constructed
with gold and jewels and life presents no problems except for one: no Cunégonde.
Now rich and headed for many more mini-adventures along the way, Candide and Cacumbo leave El
Dorado all the more determined to reunite with Cunégonde. Cacumbo's assignment to fetch Cunégonde
gives Candide a chance to sail from Suriname (on South America's northeastern coast) back to Europe and
discuss the value of life and humanity with Martin all the way to England. Their experiences travelling from
England to Venice, Italy give Voltaire a chance to make fun of an array of European places and peoples along
the way. Finally, Candide gets word that his beloved Cunégonde is being kept in slavery once again, which is
the impetus for a trip to the Middle East. A major reunion of surviving characters, major and minor, ensues.
Near a coast in the land which we now know of as Turkey, the now-married Candide and Cunégonde are
joined by Pangloss, the Old Woman, and four others on a farm.
The most important Characters in the story are: Candide, Cunegonde, Pangloss, Jacques (the
good man), Old woman, Cacambo, Martin, Pacquette (the prostitute), the wised old man in
Eldorado and the dervish in Turkey.
Places: Germany, Lisbon, Portugal, Argentina, Paraguay, El Dorado (The Utopian city), England,
Venice, Italy and Middle East (Turkey).
The expected questions:
1- What does Utopian and Optimism mean? How did the expansion of European power and
colonization in eighteenth century affect on the literature field?
2- Cease then, nor ORDER imperfection name:
Our proper bliss bliss depends on what we blame:
Know thy own point; This kind, this due degree
Of blindness, weakness, Heav’n bestows on thee.
Try to summaries Alexander Pope’s his argument in your own words, then contrast Voltaire’s
views on “optimism” with those of Pop.
3- What are the most significant events in Voltaire’s life that made him so controversial ‫مثير‬
‫ للجدل‬in his day? What does the genre of this work belong to? And what expectations do the
words on the title page generate?
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4- “Oh Pangloss!" cried Candide. "This is one abomination you could not have anticipated, and
I fear it has finally done for me, am giving up on your optimism after all". What is the final
straw that turned Candide into disbeliever and how does this final story clash with the
philosophy of optimism?
5- How does Candide qualify as dystopian literature?
6- Discuss the characterization of the old m, Dervish and Pangloss philosophies and
arguments.
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Introduction
The period between 17th -18th centuries was a period characterized by the rabid expansion of European
power around the globe. Major of historian events contributed the European ascendancy ‫ انٍيمىت‬such as the
"Glorious Revolution in England" and "French Revolution". Moreover, the increase in the number of African
slaves transported to the Americas and other important events happened in Middle and Far East had opened
European eyes to many more worlds beyond their own. The expansion of European power led to
proliferation ‫اوتشار‬of writing on journey and travel. There was a rapid increasing in the publication of books,
magazines and newspapers. The revolution and colonization took most of the literature travelers
round the world to study and learn travel narratives. Majority of publications was religious and political tracts.
Also there were increasing numbers of fictional and non-fictional travel narratives. Travelers inevitably ‫حتما‬
compare the worlds they are travelling through to their own world. This can lead them to make negative and
even racist judgments. Also it can lead them to recognize flaws in their own society and to reflect upon “the
universality of the human condition”. People have been already suffered from wars and disasters such as
“Seven Years War", Lisbon Earthquake and poverty. They started to lose their faith and stay away from
church. Therefore, some philosophers and writers began to talk about the “Utopian culture” and the
theory of “Optimism”; such as Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Alexander Pope, in order to encourage
people to go back to the church, renewal their faith and restore the hope in their lives.
In 16th century the English writer Thomas More, wrote about Utopian literature for the first time, with
the publication of Utopia from the Greek eu-topos by Plato which means the “good place”. More has
projected an idea of the imaginary environments, which was based on political principals and ideals. A
Utopian society is a place where everyone has his right in education, healthcare, freedom and equality and
the absence of money and privet property. The “Optimism” theory; the opposite of pessimism, was
adopted by many philosophers such as Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Alexander Pope who had argued the
case from the nature of God. Leibniz was a rationalist philosopher. He believed that since the creator was
both omniscient (all knowing) and omnipotent (all powerful), and sense he wished that his creatures
should be happy, it followed that the world he had made is “the best of all possible worlds”. He didn‟t
deny that nasty things happened, or people suffered, but human beings had limited knowledge, and what
appeared to them to be setbacks, could be part of the grand universal plan. Only God, with his serene
overview, saw how. Leibniz approach might be characterized as arguing forward from certain assumptions:”
since God is perfect by definition, it follows that he can do no wrong”. Also, for the first half of the 18th
century, Alexander Pope wrote the first epistle “An Essay on Man” included his fully believing optimists.
He said that the whole point of Optimism is to submit and agree what you have with a blind faith and no
question. He said that all evils afflicting ‫ يحيط‬individuals must be understood and accepted as ultimately
part of a divine plan. He said that we are pleased and secure in the hand of God. Moreover, bad things
happen because of our pride and greed and mistakes.
Leibniz's and Pope's theory about the optimism is one of the most frequently cited answers to two
dilemmas ‫ معضالث‬theologians ‫ انالٌُتييه‬call “The Problem of Evil” and “The Problem of Pain”. Both pain and
evil seem contradictory‫ متىالض‬in a world supposedly overseen by a compassionate governor . A
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contrary tendency later rose whereby authors fantasized about worlds in which human ideals of a perfect
society were shown to be ridiculous or at least impracticable such as the Irish writer “Jonathan Swift”.
Some of his books constituted anti-Utopian or”dystopian” exercise that gave the lie to particular
myths of human perfectibility. Also the French philosopher Francois- Marie; who was known by
Voltaire, had criticized Optimism and the blind faith and fate. Voltaire was a writer of great comic gifts with
a vivid sense of pace. In his book “Candide” he describes the physical and philosophical journeys of the
main characters in the contexts of Voltaire‟s own life and intellectual world. He declares his approach in his
book which might be described as empirical .‫ تجريبي‬He used his experience of the world around him to draw
certain conclusions about it. He doesn‟t agree with Leibniz approach and those two approaches are
sometimes referred to as priori ‫ بداٌت‬and a posteriori ‫ انالحك‬reasoning.
First, Voltaire was born into affluent ‫ ثري‬family in France. When he grew up , he was against the
government . He was imprisoned twice and exiled for writing satires against the Regent. He had to flee to
England and around central Europe until he settled in Switzerland continuing producing literary works until
his eighties. His book “Candide” first appeared was in 1759. At the beginning, the title page bore ‫ يحمم‬the
inscription “from the German of Doctor Ralph” and his real name didn‟t appear, but after thousands of
copies were issued, he admitted to being the author. In his book, several kinds of travel are implicated,
either directly or indirectly. Among them are the personal itineraries of Candide and Cunegonde, as well
as the digressions ً‫ إنٍائ‬by minor figures such as Candide‟s servant Cacambo. Another less literal kind of
journey is the intellectual journey that follows the succession of challenges to Pangloss‟s ideal of
optimism. There three or four genres in Candide book such as, it as a novella, satire, it has open
conclusion “indirect satire “and a philosophical tale.
His book does not entirely meet the generic requirements for the novel. We can say it is a novella, which
is shorter than the novel and longer than the fable or parable. Another point is satire is another literary
category associated with Candide, which is writing that ridicules or mocks the failing of individuals,
institutions or societies. Moreover, he allows readers to draw their own conclusions. Candide probably be
classified as “indirect satire”. Together with his contemporaries Swift, Johnson and the poet Alexander
Pope, Voltaire contributes in no small way to the long eighteenth century‟s reputation a Europe‟s greatest
period of satire. Another point is that his book is a kind of travel writing may seem to be driven by some sort
of Philosopher quest in a philosophical tale. It is closer to a fable or a parable. Its meanings lie relatively
close to the surface. The events are designed to make a point in the ongoing arguments. Voltaire begins the
story with “once upon a time” as a fairy tale but not for children and it has a message. He talks about
things are very deep and dark such as religion and faith in a funny way alight satire. He doesn‟t believe on
optimism because human beings are not perfect. People are greed and want more, and they will do
mistakes and hurt each other to get what they want. Also he is against the blind faith. He says through his
book that people must question and use their rational thinking and work to live as they want in their lives
and never submit. Voltaire is very interested in evoking the feel of the world as it is hard and inescapable
reality. Therefore, he makes extensive use of literary irony such as the use of a naïve or deluded hero or
unreliable narrator.
The title of Candide is principally taken from the name of its protagonist, but it applies equally well to its
style. The protagonist in his story is Candide which means a very clear, naive and pure with no experience in
life. Candide at the beginning of the story is following his tutor Pangloss. The character of the philosopher
Pangloss is the inexhaustible spokesman on behalf “optimism”. He is the Voltaire‟s exaggerated comic
creation. All of the main characters in the course of the journey s of Candide and Pangloss tests to the very
limits Pangloss‟s creed. Candide attacks the cosmic complacency that Leibniz talked about and the thin
optimism that expressed in Pope‟s “Essay on Man “with ridicule. Leibniz’s and Pope’s ideas are
expressed by Pangloss, and repeatedly shown up as preposterous. For example, during the dinner after
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the earthquake, when he declares:” This is all for the best... For if there is a volcano beneath Lisbon, then it
cannot be anywhere else ….For all is well” In this context, Pangloss‟s parroting of Pope‟s and Leibniz‟s creed
of optimism. Pangloss speaks on behalf of optimism and provides three reasons to challenge the bad events
that happen in his journey. The first one is by saying that there exists a “sufficient reason” for each and
every event. The second is the about “cause and effect”. The third one is the religious doctrine and
always says “we live in the best possible world”. It is clear from the mocking portrayal in Candide that
Voltaire found none of these three responses remotely convincing. His attack on their ideas is not limited to
matters of content, but as an assault upon what he saw as their self- deluding optimism.
Voltaire‟s philosophical views were defined in opposition to belief in “Optimism” which dominated the
philosophy of his day. In his book, he talks about the physical and intellectual/ philosophical journeys, from
the theory to fact. In his book Candide, Doctor Ralph is not the only narrator. He gives us a history from
the point of view of victims. For example, Cunegonde recounts her story in Lisbon, which gives Voltaire
the chance to portray the injustices meted out in this traditionalist Catholic society on the minorities
“women, Protestants, intellectuals, slaves and Jews” who do have no voice the society. There are
three episodes in the novel recounted by women “Cunegonde, The old woman and Pacquette. For example,
Cunegonde and the old woman and Cacambo are abused and enslaved because of their gender “whether he
or she is a woman or a black person”. The women in the book are realistic and honest. Voltaire exposes
female subservience ‫ انخىُع‬in a male-dominated society
& spectacular suffering and misadventure. For
example, Cunegonde is despised and deserted by her Bulgar captain; ends up with a Jew and an Inquisitor
‫انمحمك‬. The old woman uses flashback to talk about her life story. She was princess but also abused and
has been sold many times as a slave in Morocco and in different countries in her youth. Cunégonde style in
telling her story is frank, plain-speaking, declaring she liked her rescuer. Her candour is also directed at
Voltaire‟s philosophical targets, and in direct contrast to Doctor Ralph, Cunégonde concludes from her awful
experiences that Pangloss, is totally wrong. All three women tell tales of spectacular suffering and
misadventure, which are nonetheless lightened by their transparent absurdities and extravagant
hyperbole.‫غهُ اإلسراف‬
Moreover, Cacambo recounts his suffering, from his mother selling him on the coast of Guinea, to his
Dutch master in Surinam cutting off his right hand and left leg. The slave‟s African mother and his Dutch
owner both benefit by his enslavement, but the slave declares himself to be a thousand times more
miserable than dogs, monkeys and parrots. The impact of the encounter with the slave upon Candide is
profound, as he cries:” Oh Pangloss! This is one abomination ‫ مكرَي‬you could not have anticipated, and I
fear it has finally done for me: I am giving up on your optimism after all”. Voltaire‟s tone her is far from
comic; instead his satire assumes a serious edge in order to express unequivocally how much he hates
slavery. Candide bought Cacambo from his master and continues his journey with him until they reach El
Dorado “The Man of Gold”.
By 16thC refers to a mythical place, a country where gold was as common as rocks: it existed in
western imagination. This chapter brings into question the whole subject of value: what is of highest value in
the visitors‟ eyes has no value in El Dorado. For example, the old man says that he lives in a modest
house although the door is of silver and the paneling ‫ االنُاح‬in the apartment merely of gold. This sounds like
irony, but it‟s only so in the eyes of the reader and of Candide and Cacambo. Only the visitors are aware of
the unreality of the place and when the gold and treasure are carried outside El Dorado, this wealth has
value. When Candide asks the old man about their God, he says that they only thank their God for
his blessings not worshipping him. They have everything they want, so there is no need to worship
him. The inhabitance lives a pointless life, no questioning or rational thinking. Candide wants to
leave the town because he feels that living in Eldorado without any purpose and doing nothing
makes his life worthless. Therefore he decides to leave the town and look for his love Cunegonde
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.El Dorado represents Utopia, the perfect but inexistent. The effect from the reader‟s point of
view is bringing into question the whole subject of value. The implication of Candide‟s and
Cacambo‟s experience of El Dorado is that there are plenty of worlds that are better, they are just
unrealizable and there is not perfect place because people are not perfect. Candide declares that
if they "leave El Dorado, “we shall be richer than all the kings put together, we shall no longer have
Inquisitors to fear, and we shall easily rescue Cunegonde”.
Voltaire considers the idea of destiny from various points of view: different schools of
philosophy, different cultures. For example, Candide starts his journey in the West, moves long
Europe and ends up it in Turkey. The Turkish people, according to Voltaire‟s interpretation, were
oppressed largely because they believed in fact, and thus held their subjection ‫ إخضاع‬to be
inevitable ً‫ال مفر مى‬. In the minds of Voltaire and his contemporaries, such despotic ‫ مستبدة‬regimes
in such places were aided ‫ َساعد‬and abetted ‫ حرض‬by the inherent ‫ األصيم‬fatalism‫ انمضاء َانمدر‬of
the East. The Palestinian critic Edward Said argues in his well-known study Orientalism ‫االستشراق‬
that during the centuries, when cultures of the West had predatory designs on the land of the East,
a belief in oriental ‫ شرقية‬passivity‫ سلبية‬and fatalism served as a useful adjunct
‫ مساعد‬to these plans of acquisition ‫ اكتساب‬. The East has allowed being the follower not the
leader. The point is, the people in the East are like the Dervish philosopher when says to Pongless
“keep your mouth shut” and even the man who says “I never enquire about what goes on
Constantinople” who live with no doubt and no questioning. They are easily dominated by their
own rulers or by outsiders because all what they want is to live a simple life. On contrast, the
western people believe in freedom of choice and therefore inclined to resist tyranny ‫ انطغيان‬. Voltaire
believes in changing and start thinking and working everyday and rejects submitting, it‟s about fate
Vs free will. In the Conclusion, Pangloss sticks to his philosophy, and Candide does not
contradict him but says: „That is well said,‟ replied Candide, „but we must cultivate our
garden.‟ Candide response, it seems, is to work or sit in your garden, with a book or without one.
This is the main ideas of the story
Please read the whole chapters
Good Luck
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