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Candide

Voltaire

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Jul 14, 2009 Daniel rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2009, re-read

Sometimes when I review books on GoodReads -- especially well-loved books such as Ian McEwan's "Atonement" -- I feel a bit like Senator Pococurante from Voltaire's "Candide":

As soon as our two travelers had taken leave of His Excellency, Candide said to Martin, "Well, I hope you will own that this man is the happiest of all mortals, for he is above everything he possesses."
"But do not you see," answered Martin, "that he likewise dislikes everything he possesses? It was an observation of Plato, l

Sometimes when I review books on GoodReads -- especially well-loved books such as Ian McEwan's "Atonement" -- I feel a bit like Senator Pococurante from Voltaire's "Candide":

As soon as our two travelers had taken leave of His Excellency, Candide said to Martin, "Well, I hope you will own that this man is the happiest of all mortals, for he is above everything he possesses."
"But do not you see," answered Martin, "that he likewise dislikes everything he possesses? It was an observation of Plato, long since, that those are not the best stomachs that reject, without distinction, all sorts of aliments."
"True," said Candide, "but still there must certainly be a pleasure in criticising everything, and in perceiving faults where others think they see beauties."
"That is," replied Martin, "there is a pleasure in having no pleasure."

Rereading "Candide" for the first time since, if I remember correctly, high school was a lot of fun. Beyond "best of all possible worlds," "Candide" must have more memorable, quotable quotes per page (the novella is barely more than a hundred pages) than pretty much any other work of fiction ever published.

I have to say, though, that I forgot how much rape there is in the book. To the modern-day reader -- or at least to this modern-day reader -- the rape references sit quite uncomfortably within the confines of a satire. I found them even harder to take than all of the references to money-lending Jews, who I've become somewhat accustomed to encountering in older novels.

"Candide" has been so well-studied over the centuries since its publication, there's no need for me to say much more about it. I'll instead just end with another great conversation from the book:

"Do you think," said Candide, "that mankind always massacred one another as they do now? Were they always guilty of lies, fraud, treachery, ingratitude, inconstancy, envy, ambition, and cruelty? Were they always thieves, fools, cowards, gluttons, drunkards, misers, calumniators, debauchees, fanatics, and hypocrites?"
"Do you believe," said Martin, "that hawks have always been accustomed to eat pigeons when they came in their way?"
"Doubtless," said Candide.
"Well then," replied Martin, "if hawks have always had the same nature, why should you pretend that mankind change theirs?"

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Dec 26, 2006 Elizabeth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, classics

What was the saying? Don't worry everything turns out all right in the end? Is that it???? I need help here.

Voltaire is awesome; I think it is interesting that he was both a successful businessman and a writer.
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Jan 02, 2010 Trin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: french-lit, fiction, philosophy

One of the oddest works of classic literature I have ever read. If you don’t think too hard about certain aspects—the lovely touches of sexism and racism; the frequent bouts of rape and torture—it’s actually quite fun, and surprisingly funny. As much as I love the repressed staunchness of the Victorian era, one has to imagine that the lewd, bawdy 18th Century would have been a fascinating one to live in.

It also makes one wonder if a backlash to our current level of cultural tawdriness—comparable ...more

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