Candide

Above is the translation that I read: Candide by Voltaire, translated by Lowell Bair.

As you may expect, I read Candide for the sole purpose of passing my English Literature class. But that does not stop me from liking it!

Not that I'm being pressured into liking it because it's considered one of the greats by most English teachers. In fact, overall I give the book the highest possible rating just short of my All-Time-Favorite-Books. Candide doesn't quite make the list, but it comes pretty darn close. Why?

Why Candide is close to being one of my All-Time-Favorites:
The same reason that I don't completely hate Shakespeare: the philosophy. This book was written for the sole purpose of sharing Voltaire's philosophy. Heck, it was written in response to someone with whom he was having a debate.
Because Voltaire chose such a naive and stubborn protagonist (hint: his name is Candide), we get to see the battle between the two philosophies of optimism and pessimism throughout the entire book. Candide is an example of something I've been searching for ever since I read To Kill a Mockingbird: a fictional book that convinces without ranting. I admire books that can convince so many young minds because, as I'm sure many other young philosophers do, I want to one day influence attitudes with my writing.
And, somehow, it's still entertaining. This book is more captivating than certain YA action books, and that's no small feat for a philosophical satire written in the 1700's.
Normally the lack of description would bother me, but I'll refrain from complaining for two reasons:
1. My friend had a different translation with much better descriptions, so perhaps I'm not getting the full scope of the original writing just because of the copy I bought.
2. The main purpose of the book is to follow the philosophies and, to some extent, the characters. The descriptions are only mentioned when they serve the purpose of the plot. It wasn't Voltaire's intention to describe, so I won't criticize him for lacking descriptions.
And do I even have to mention the satire? I love books that can be funny without resorting to slapstick or pop-culture references (unless it's Percy Jackson or some other personal narrative), and Voltaire really hits home.

Why Candide is not quite one of my All-Time-Favorites:
Mostly because I just don't agree with the philosophy. In fact, Voltaire's philosophy (both the one of pessimism and the philosophy that philosophy itself is maddening) is what I've been fighting against my whole life. I won't try to convince any of you against Voltaire's philosophy. I'll just say that their happy ending couldn't possibly last in Voltaire's world because many innocent villagers were displaced in the past, and something equally horrible or worse could easily happen to the main cast in their little orange garden.
I also have to disagree with Voltaire's idea of a Utopia (El Dorado), which is something that my class discussed. It reminds me more of a communist Dystopia than an ideal society.
Lastly, of course, there's nothing objectively wrong with a book that's been through this many editions and corrections. No grammatical mistakes, no historical mistakes that went uncorrected (though it's historical fiction), etc.


As you can see, the good section outweighs the bad in this review, even though I naturally feel smarter for having criticized something important (Pococurante, anyone?). A nice little praising review for a nice little pessimistic book.


Questions? Comments? Concerns? Even if you haven't read Voltaire, or only pretended to read it for English class, which philosophy do you side with? Do you think that pessimism or the belief that philosophy itself causes misery is really mainstream? I welcome any and all comments below or via PM.