Voltaire
&
Candide
 Voltaire was born
Francois Marie Arouet
on November 21, 1694
in Paris. He received his
education at “Louis-leGrand,” a Jesuit college
in Paris where he said
he learned nothing but
“Latin and the
Stupidities.” (His
disdain for religion
becomes apparent in his
later writings.)
 After dropping out of school, Voltaire
became quite popular among the
social circles of Paris. In 1717, he
wrote a scathing satire about French
authorities and ended up in prison for
eleven months.
While in prison, Voltaire wrote his first
theatrical success- “Oedipe.” In 1726,
Voltaire insulted a powerful and influential
nobleman, Chevalier De Rohan, and was
given two options: prison or exile. Voltaire
opted for the latter and moved to England.
While in England, he studied and became
influenced by John Locke and Sir Isaac
Newton. He also loved and began writing
about the idea of a constitutional
monarchy, which the French government
saw as criticism, and in 1734, Voltaire was
forced to leave Paris again.
 Voltaire moved to Luneville in eastern
France with his married mistress,
Emilie du Chatelet, where they lived
for fifteen years. During this time,
Voltaire began a correspondence with
Frederick of Prussia, finally moving to
Potsdam in 1750. Eventually, Voltaire
and Emilie’s relationship ended and
he began a new affair with his
recently widowed niece.
At first in Prussia, Voltaire and Frederick
shared many similar ideas; however,
because of their strong-minded tendencies,
eventually conflict arose. In March 1753,
Voltaire leaves Prussia on poor terms and
settles in Switzerland. His choice of a city,
Geneva, was interesting because at the
time the city was populated with
Calvinists- a group who was very pious. Not
surprisingly, Voltaire again found himself
at odds with the government leaders.
 On November 1, 1755, Lisbon, Portugal was
destroyed by an earthquake that killed
fifteen thousand people in six minutes with
another fifteen thousand mortally
wounded. Voltaire contemplated on the
disaster and began to think if Alexander
Pope (a famed Optimist) would agree. Pope
once wrote that “Whatever is, is right.”
Voltaire began to question the Optimist
philosophy and knew there must be an
inherent flaw in a philosophy that believed
this devastating earthquake to be “the best
of all possible worlds.”
 After leaving Geneva, Voltaire finally
settled in Ferney, France where he wrote
Candide in 1759. Voltaire considered his
book to be a literary response to the
philosophy of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz
who attempted to establish a philosophy
that merged a scientific explanation of the
universe with a belief in a just God.
Voltaire disagreed with Leibnitz’s assertion
that “of all possible worlds that God could
have created, this must be the best, for God
would have chosen the best” and set out to
satirize what he perceived to be a
dangerously naïve outlook.
 Voltaire was attacking the three main
beliefs of optimism:
1)Humans can transcend their selfishness
2) A final accounting balance of good and evil
in the world is achievable
3) Human philosophies bear some sort of
direct relevance to human behavior
 Voltaire believed that an acceptance
of the Optimist philosophy would lead
“weak thinkers to complacency and
acceptance of evil as a natural course
of things.” After the publication of
Candide, the philosophy was never
again as credible or as popular.
Characters of Candide
 Candide- main character, whose
origin is unknown and irrelevant. The
book focuses on his adventures and
his transformation from an innocent,
candid young man to a cynical adult.
 Dr. Pangloss- tutor of Candide whose
catch-phrase “all that is is for the
best” is representative of the
philosophy of Optimism.
 Cunegonde- Candide’s true love; the
object of his desire and all of his
searches and journeys. She is raped,
sold to several men, and eventually is
sold as a slave until Candide buys her
freedom.
 Cacambo- Candide’s valet and
eventual travel companion throughout
South America
 Don Fernando d’Ibaraa, y Figueora, y
Mascarenes, y Lampourdos, y Souzaa nobleman whose name parodies the
ridiculous of titles; he takes
Cunegonde as a lover
 The Old Woman- daughter of a pope
and a princess; Cunegonde’s travel
companion
 James, the Anabaptist- only person who
helps Candide in Holland; Voltaire uses
this character to point out the hypocrisy of
many Christians
 Paquette- a servant who gives Pangloss
venereal disease and eventually becomes a
prostitute.
 Cunegonde’s brother (the Colonel)- never
given a name; he’s based partly on
Frederick the Great
 Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh- master of the
castle who kicks out Candide
Tools of Satire
 Ridicule – description intended to cause
contemptuous laughter.
 Irony – The contrast between what is stated
explicitly and what is actually meant.
 Caricature (burlesque)—A representation in
which the subject’s distinctive features are
deliberately exaggerated for comic or
grotesque effect.
 Hyperbole—A figure of speech using
deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.
Hyperbole can be used for either comic or
serious effect; Hyperbole often produces
irony at the same time.
 Sarcasm — From the Greek meaning, "to
tear flesh," sarcasm involves bitter, caustic
language that is meant to hurt of ridicule
someone or something. It may use irony as
a device, but not all ironic statements are
sarcastic.
 Wit — In modern usage, wit is
intellectually amusing language that
surprises and delights. A witty statement is
humorous, while suggesting the speaker's
verbal power in creating ingenious and
perceptive remarks. Wit usually uses terse
language that makes a pointed statement.
 Innuendo – An indirect intimation about a
person or thing, especially of a disparaging
or derogatory nature
 Understatement -- The ironic minimizing of
fact, understatement presents something as
less significant than it is. The effect can
frequently be humorous and emphatic.