Voltaire

[Janus]

Has anyone read Voltaire's works, particularly Candide? I have to read Candide over the winter break and all I know about it is that the plot revolves around a protagonist who encounters ignorance and religious intoleration everywhere he travels. Please comment or discuss this topic, thank you.

[coda]

I thought it was a very witty satire depending on translation. It's a very short book, a little over 100 pages, so, it's very do-able.

The historical context: Voltaire, one of the great minds of the enlightenment, (as well as my own hero the anarchist Voltairine DeCleyre's, namesake) wrote it to mock the conventional wisdom at the time, 18th century, i.e. Leibniz, parodied as Dr. Pangloss; -- that everything happens for the good of all things, ordained by God and part of the cosmic plan thus, should be accepted and not questioned -- in theory the best of all possible worlds to be had. With that, the protogonist, the innocent sheltered nobleman, Candide, sets off on a journey in the likes of a French Don Quixote and runs into catastrophe after catastrophe each becoming more surreal, cruel and absurd and contradicting Leibniz' metaphysics.

In his own life, Voltaire, was sent to the Bastille for coming up against the religious authorities and status quo of his day. The book was penned thereafter in 1795, when he was 65 years old. The senarios get a little repetitive, but the writing style is witty enough to keep on reading. I may just re-read it as well sometime.

The book is online.
http://www.literature.org/authors/voltaire/candide/

[Delirium]

I read it about 6months ago, it's and entertaining read. He simply travels throughout the world after women and riches and adventure. There is an amusing part where a woman get's one of her buttocks's eaten during a siege.

[Jimmie Higgins]

It's been a long time since I read it, but if I'm remembering right, he argues that it's impossible (or at least futile) to try and change the world: the best you can do is try and improve yourself and your immediate surrounding.

I could be wrong, I read it a long time ago and wasn't really that thrilled by it.

[Tekun]

It was an interesting read on how an individual reacts to tragedy and misfortune
I enjoyed it quite a bit, just because he goes through so much and yet he still manages to keep his head up

Not really sure on its political or social reflection

[ComradeRed]

I don't know...Voltaire isn't my favorite satirist compared to...say...Aristophanes. The Clouds is much better than Candide in my opinion.