By: VOLTAIRE (1694 - 1778)
Candide, ou l’Optimisme, (“Candide, or
Optimism”) (1759) is a picaresque novel by the Enlightenment philosopher
Voltaire. Voltaire never openly admitted to having written the
controversial Candide; the work is signed with a pseudonym: “Monsieur le
docteur Ralph”, literally “Mister Doctor Ralph.”Sardonic in outlook, it
follows the naïve protagonist Candide from his first exposure to the
precept that “all is for the best in this, the best of all possible
worlds,” and on through a series of adventures that dramatically
disprove that precept even as the protagonist clings to it.The novel
satirizes naïve interpretations of the philosophy of Gottfried Leibniz
and is a showcase of the horrors of the 18th century world. In Candide,
Leibniz is represented by the philosopher Pangloss, the tutor of the
title character. Despite a series of misfortunes and misadventures,
which include being present at the Lisbon Earthquake, Pangloss
continually asserts that “Tout est pour le mieux dans le meilleur des
mondes possibles” (“All is for the best in the best of all possible
worlds”). The novel ends with Candide finally rejecting the optimism
espoused by Pangloss, saying, “Il faut cultiver notre jardin” (“It is
necessary to cultivate our garden”). Summary from Wikipedia
Genre(s): Fantastic Fiction
Language: English
Running Time: 3:58:37
Zip file size: 109MB
Catalog date: 2006-06-18
Read by: LibriVox Volunteers
Book Coordinator: Jim Mowatt
Meta Coordinator: Jim Mowatt
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