Candide by Voltaire [Unabridged Edition]

by Voltaire

Overview

Candide, ou l'Optimisme (pronounced /ˌkænˈdiːd/ in English and [kɑ̃did] in French) is a French satire written in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled Candide: or, All for the Best (1759); Candide: or, The Optimist (1762); and Candide: or, Optimism (1947).[5] It begins with a young man, Candide, who is living a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise and being indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism (or simply Optimism) by his mentor, Pangloss. The work describes the abrupt cessation of this lifestyle, followed by Candide's slow, painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Voltaire concludes with Candide, if not outright rejecting optimism, advocating an enigmatic precept, "we must cultivate our garden", in lieu of the Leibnizian mantra of Pangloss, "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds"

Product Details

BN ID:	2940012340993
Publisher:	Lions Gate Classics
Publication date:	03/22/2011
Series:	Lions Gate Classics , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	174 KB

About the Author

François-Marie Arouet (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃swa maʁi aʁuˈwe]; 21 November 1694 – 30 May 1778), better known by the pen name Voltaire (pronounced: [volˈtɛʁ]), was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion and free trade. Voltaire was a prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form including plays, poetry, novels, essays, and historical and scientific works. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and more than 2,000 books and pamphlets. He was an outspoken supporter of social reform, despite strict censorship laws and harsh penalties for those who broke them. As a satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize intolerance, religious dogma and the French institutions of his day.

Voltaire was one of several Enlightenment figures (along with Montesquieu, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Émilie du Châtelet) whose works and ideas influenced important thinkers of both the American and French Revolutions.