Terms of Humor, Satire, and Irony
in Candide
By: Emily Szpiro, Patrick O'Dowd,
Elena Studier, Alex Hay, Haerin Lee,
and Jay Hamilton
Candide
• -Written in 1759 by Voltaire
• -Intended to enlighten French people and other
Europeans of the problems within the
government, especially in terms of religion
• -Famous for the use of humor, irony, and, most
prominently, satire
• -shows the contrast of optimism and philosophy
by following the life of a man named Candide
• -the perils of Candide's life are usually caused by
fate
Tendency Wit
• Definition: An aggressive statement which directs
a laugh at a particular person or thing.
• Example: "Our soldiers defended us like the
Pope's guard: they fell on their knees and threw
away their arms, begging the pirates for
absolution at the point of death."
• This excerpt from Candide illustrates tendency
wit as it aggressively pokes fun at the Church, by
noting the lack of bravery among its guards.
Aphorism -Haerin
• Definition: A pointed statement that underscores a serious maxim
or major truth.
• Example: (Pangloss/Candide in Lisbon)
• 'Your Exellency must excuse me,' said Pangloss; 'Free Will is
consistent with Absolute Necessity, for it was ordained that we
should be free. For the Will that is determined...'
• -Pangloss is arguing against the Portuguese Inquisitor about the
belief of Absolute Being (God), questioning the existence of God.
The Portuguese Inquisitor thinks that God is the one who gives and
makes absolute decisions for human affairs and Pangloss argues
against by stating that human have rights to do things freely, for
that rights was granted to them which work as powerful as the
products of God. And Portuguese Inquisitor thinks Pangloss is crazy
by saying this.
Menippean/Verronian satire
• Definition: an informal satire which presents a seriese of dialogues
and debates to make its point.
•
• Example: There are so many good examples of Menippean satire in
Candide. Voltaire proposes his ideas and demonstrates his points
through the use of diolouge between characters, or through the
situtions that the characters find themselves in, which is the
definition of Menippean satire. Specifically, one example of this can
be found in chapters XVII and XVIII during Candide's trip to
Eldorado. The people in Eldorado were a happy and peaceful
people. They did not value gold, or silver, or other things which
Europeans considered riches. They had a different monetary system
than Candide. Voltaire demonstrated the futility of wealth as a
source of happiness and mocked the materialistic nature of the
European society at the time.
Black Humor
• Definition: In modern literature, a technique that places humor in
the context of horror in an effort to reveal widespread social
turmoils or ills.
• Example: a good example of this technique in Candide comes in
chapter 5, shortly after the earthquake that has decimated Lisbon
as Candide and Pangloss arrive there. Here there is presented a
scene of carnage and death in the ruined city; with “the dead and
dying all around” (and, we shortly see, Candide himself trapped
under some rubble) all that Pangloss can think of is his precious
philosophy. What Voltaire is trying to “reveal” here is how ignorant
the philosophy of Leibnitz’ philosophy that this is “the best of all
possible worlds”; as represented by the irrepressible Pangloss, with
such a broken world all around him, how can anyone possibly think
that this world is as good as it gets?
Black Humor
• “The Day or Judgement has come,” cried Candide.
The sailor rushed straight into the midst of the
debris and risked his life searching for money.
Having found some, he ran off with it to get
drunk; and after sleeping off the effects of the
wine, he bought the favors of the first girl of easy
virtue he met amongst the ruined houses with the
dead and dying all around. Pangloss pulled him by
the sleeve and said: “This will never do, my friend;
you are not obeying the universal rule of Reason;
you have misjudged the occasion.”
Black Humor
Epigram
• Definition: terse prose or poetry that end with a witty or surprising
turn of thought. A good example of this in Candide comes at the
beginning of chapter 13, where Candide is eventually separated
from Cunegonde and the old woman. However, the scene which
most concerns us for the purpose of an epigram comes at the very
beginning of the chapter, with everyone still on the ship to Buenos
Aires. Candide observes that it is unfortunate that Pangloss has
"died" but for a rather different reason than might be expected:
•
•
"It is a great pity," said Candide, "that the normal custom at an
auto-da-fe was broken and our sagacious Pangloss hanged; for
otherwise he would have made some remarkable observations on
the moral and physical evils which infest the earth and sea, and with
all due respect to him I should have made bold to offer a few
objections."
Socratic Irony
Emily Szpiro
• Definition: this form of irony is used when a character
or speaker assumes an ignorant role, then reveals
weakness or absurdity in another's contrary opinions.
• Example: An example from Candide of socratic irony is
the exchange between Martin and Candide on the ship
going to France. Martin is telling Candide about the evil
nature of men. Candide, having been raised on
optimistic values, retorts with a comment that shows
how absurd and drastic Martin’s pessimistic views of
mankind are. Candide’s ignorance reveals the
extremeness of Martin.
Socratic Irony
Emily Szpiro
• ‘Do you think,’ said Candide, ‘that men have
always massacred each other, as they do today, that they have always been false,
cozening, faithless, ungrateful, thieving, weak,
inconstant, mean-spirited, envious, greedy
drunken, miserly, ambitious, bloody
slanderous, debauched, fanatic, hypocritical,
and stupid?’
Socratic Irony
Romantic Irony
Emily Szpiro
• Definition: An author establishes the illusion of
reality, often with a self conscious narrator, and
then steps in and bursts the audience's bubble of
illusion.
• Example: Romantic irony is used in Candide, most
notably at the end of the novel when Pangloss
provides Candide with a romanticized and overly
optimistic summary of all the misfortunes that
had befallen Candide. Candide listens to Pangloss
as he says this, and interjects with a harsh fall to
reality.
Romantic Irony
Emily Szpiro
• From time to time Pangloss would say to Candide:
‘There is a chain of events in this best of all possible
worlds; for if you had not been turned out of a
beautiful manion at the point of a jackboot for the love
of Lady Cunegonde, and if you had not been involved in
the Inquisition, and had not wandered over America on
foot, and had not struck the Baron with your sword and
lost all those sheep you brought from Eldorado, you
would not be here eating candied fruits and pistachio
nuts.’
‘That is true enough,’ said Candide; ‘but we must go
work in the garden.’
Romantic Irony
Cosmic Irony -Haerin
• Definition: The idea that fate, destiny, or a god controls and toys
with human hopes and expectations; also, the belief that the
universe is so large and man is so small that the universe is
indifferent to the plight of man; also called irony of fate.
•
• -The example of Cosmic Irony from Candide is found in page 29,
when Candide met Pangloss and comments on the news that he
heard, including death of his love, Lady Cunegonde.
•
• ‘I know what this love is,’ said Candide, with a shake of his head,
‘this sovereign of hearts and quintessence of our souls: my entire
reward has been a kiss and twenty kicks on the backside. But how
could such a beautiful cause produce so hideous an effect upon
you?’ (pg 29)
Sarcasm
• In literature, sarcasm is demonstrated as apparent praise used for
dispraise.
• Example: (Candide p. 36) "The university of Coimbra had
pronounced that the sight of a few people ceremoniously burned
alive before a slow fire was an infallible prescription for preventing
earthquakes; so when the earthquake had subsided after
destroying three-quarters of Lisbon, the authorities of that country
could find no surer means of avoiding total ruin than by giving the
people ad auto-da-fé."
•
• This example demonstrates the principle of sarcasm, by praising the
idea of an auto-de-fé being an effective means of preventing
natural catastrophes. This is obviously not what Voltaire was trying
to promote.
Humorous Utterance
Emily Szpiro
• Definition: a statement(s) entertaining to the audience,
but not necessarily to the speaker.
• Example: When Candide and Martin are in France, they
attend a performance of a tragedy in a theater.
Candide asks the abbé how many plays have been
written in French, and the abbé says a large number,
but when Candide asks how many of them were good
(since the abbé is a harsh critic), he responds "fifteen
or sixteen." Martin replied, possibly sarcastically, that
that number was a lot. This statement is remarkably
funny and provides the reader with an opportunity to
laugh.
Humorous Utterance
Emily Szpiro
• 'How many plays have been written in
French?' [Candide] asked.
• 'About five or six thousand,' replied the abbé.
• 'That's a lot,' he remarked; 'how many are
good?'
• 'Fifteen or sixteen,' replied the other.
• 'That's a lot,' said Martin.
Humorous Utterance