Candide Summary
Voltaire

Candide by Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire Francois Marie Arouet was born in Paris, France, in 1694, the youngest child of a cultured middle-class family. Educated by the Jesuits at the College L... Read more

The French poet, dramatist, historian, and philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778) was an outspoken and aggressive enemy of every injustice but especially of religious intolerance. His works are an outstandi... Read more

In these essays, Wade focuses on the artistic organization of Candide, providing context for the creation of the work. On the Relationship Between Structure and Meaning in Candide, Il est certain qu&#... Read more

In this excerpt, Knapp places Candide in the context of Voltaire's literary career, noting that the author never abandons his belief in relativism and moderation. Candide, or Optimism (1759) By... Read more

In the following essay, Walsh provides a brief summary of the plot and characters in Candide. Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh. The master of the castle who kicks out Candide. He is soon killed when the Bulg... Read more

In the essay below, Wade offers a brief critical history of Candide. The Journal encyclopédique2 was far from favorable in its review of Candide. Indeed, it was so severe that Voltaire felt con... Read more

In the following essay, Kivy argues for the restoration of Candide's status as a text of philosophical significance. I Voltaire's Candide is subtitled Optimism. It is about an impossibly... Read more

In this essay, originally published in 1983, Reed postulates that there is a pattern of cause and effect in Voltaire's exploration of evil in Candide, and that he uses the actions of his charac... Read more

In the excerpts below, Mason provides a detailed analysis of Candide, including discussions of its origin, context, philosophical, and literary background, as well as its connections to Voltaire... Read more

In the following essay, Mason proposes that, contrary to common critical opinion, Voltaire's Candide has a structure corresponding to the general progress of Candide through the story, and sugg... Read more

Candide Candide, written by Voltaire during the 18th century is a celebrated novel known for it's strong criticism of the Middle Ages and Enlightenment expressed by Voltaire. During the transformatio... Read more

Voltaire's Candide is an attack on several social issues which concerned many of the enlightened thinkers.  But unlike others, Voltaire tended to concentrate on the effects of class structure, re... Read more

Voltaire's work Candide is an absurd, irrational story that takes the reader to almost every part of the world in a critical analysis of enlightenment thought. Readers may view Candide as a wo... Read more

Candide by Voltaire is the chronicles of a young man and his travels, through his fantastically descriptive narration Voltaire uses great detail in describing young Candide's adventures from place to ... Read more

Voltaire's novel Candide has used its wit to remain one of the most renowned satires ever written. The title character, a naïve and easily influenced man, relies on his mentor Pangloss's teachin... Read more

All of the negative characteristics portrayed in Voltaire's "Candide" are timeless. The author of this short novel knew this and incorporated that message into the book by using the theme of R... Read more

"Candide" also known as "Optimism" by Voltaire, was written in 1759 as a satirical novel to mock the current society's beliefs about life, war, and culture. Candide, the naive illegitimate son of a Ba... Read more

The Rise and Fall of Candide's Faith in the Theory of Philosophical Optimism Candide is a naïve individual who is plagued with many hardships and misfortunes throughout the novel. He has been in... Read more

The Asylum of Optimists "Philosophy consists very largely of one philosopher arguing that all others are jackasses. He usually proves it, and I should add that he also usually proves that he is one h... Read more

In the literary `movements' of neo-classicism and romanticism, Voltaire's Candide and Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther represent the literary age in which they were written. In the following comp... Read more

Candide Book Notes is a free study guide on Candide by Voltaire. Browse the summary below:   Author Biography / Context of the Work   One-Page Plot Summary   Character Description... Read more