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Written by: Voltaire
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Synopsis
Prologue: soldier armed for battle. Sexual metaphors ("Sixty and nine," "high
FT 553 notes (from 07/27/04)
Physical condition is boredom, pain and suffering. How to deal? Voltaire takes title character through three solutions:
-- Panglossian optimism: "best of all possible worlds", even when completely miserable
-- Providence
-- reason (as personified by Martin) -- used to fight injustice, which is a never-ending war
Pangloss: universal tongue.
Voltaire Erasmus' successor. According to Voltaire, only way to deal is to cultivate your garden, take responsiblity for your life.
Style of work is reductive, based on optimism/Providence/reason. Alienates reader from reality of story to bring closer to greater reality. Form of work adventure, philosophical journey. Three parts:
-- perpetrators of outrage
-- New World (noble savage, perfect Communism)
-- Old World, then Constantinople
Work satirizes society -- France, England, Italy, etc. Novel ends in Constantinople -- Oriental fatalism regarding world, realism regarding own world. Will always be subject to greater historical forces, which can't be predicted or controlled. But can regard own position in world, and take action accordingly.
Candide -- youth and optimism. Pangloss -- philosophical optimism. Maritn -- realist, pessimist -- only makes unhappier. Cucanbo -- survivor, simple in responses. Baron -- static, unmoving, futile, impotent. Every class included. Everything an escape, everything an beating. Surrounded by misery, theft, lying, lust, boredom.
Candide, being young, keeps moving -- kicked out, sold, etc. In jungle, led to perfect state: no property, all share.
Pay attention to how Volatire will take everyone's position, and through Candide's youth will play each position as if legit. Life gets worse and worse. Same with Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse-Five -- as long as listen to other people, will end up in some kind of prison, so might as well construct the prison you want.
Candide -- end up with fatalism, enthusiastic response to own being, capacity to survive through own devices.