candide analysis essay

Introduction to Candide

Candide was written by the leading French enlightenment figure, Voltaire. It was published in French by its title Candide, ou l’Optimisme in 1759. Later, the novella was translated into English under the same title and was published in 1762. It was republished in 1947 under the title of Candide: Optimism. The novella presents the story of a young man, Candide, whose life marks great optimism under the influence of his teacher, Professor Pangloss. Following great trials and tribulations in his life, Candide demonstrates extreme Leibnizian optimism, propagating that we must take care of our own gardens.

Summary of Candide

The story of the novella shows that an illegitimate born young man, Candide, is living in luxury in the castle of his uncle, a German baron. Professor Pangloss, his mentor, teaches him along with his cousin Cunegonde and Young baron. He teaches them and believes in optimistic philosophy and this world is the ‘best of all possible worlds’. Pangloss has an illicit affair with the chambermaid Paquette and Cunegonde see them kissing and wanted to try this on Candide. But Candide was actually in love with his cousin for her beauty and suppresses his feelings.  However, when Candide is engaged in an intimate action with his beloved , the baron finds him and immediately orders his expulsion. Finding himself living upon his own, he joins the Bulgarian army and leaves the camp when he faces arrest for leaving the camp as a deserter and becomes a victim of flogging. However, he escapes the encampment and leaves for the Netherlands.

While living over there with an Anabaptist, named Jacques he comes across a haggard beggar who happens to be Professor Pangloss. He informs that his contact with syphilis has transpired to him and that Candide’s beloved Cunegonde and the family have become a victim of the invading Bulgar army. However, he advises him to stay optimistic, and taking Jacques, the trio goes to Lisbon when their ship is wrecked in the storm where Jacques is drowned saving a sailor. As soon as they land they see that Lisbon city has fallen to the ground due to the earthquake. Adding to the misery  Candide along with his professor face inquisition running rampant against the people of the opposite religion.

Pangloss soon finds himself in hot waters on account of allegations of heresy against him and is sentenced to death, while Candide faces flogging for being his disciple. When Candide comes to his senses after receiving his punishment, he finds an old woman nursing him. Surprisingly, she takes him to his beloved, Cunegonde who explains the genocide of her family and her own rape and disembowelment. She also informs her abduction by a captain, who traded her with Don Issachar. She discloses that now Don Issachar and the Grand Inquisitor, both are her owners. Soon they arrive on the scene when she is engaged in conversation with her former paramour, Candide. Candide kills both of them and runs for his life, taking his old nurse and his beloved with him, leaving ultimately for South America . The old woman, during their voyage to South America , discloses her true identity as being the daughter of the Pope and her ordeals during her captivity.

Soon all of them reach Buenos Aires, the Argentinian capital, where they plan to marry but the governor, Don Fernando, appears on the scene and starts advances toward Cunegonde. To Candide’s surprise, Cunegonde responds to his advances, thinking of his strong financial position. Soon the Portuguese also arrive, looking for the assassin of the Grand Inquisitor, making Candide flee for his life with Cacambo, a valet who he has newly acquired. When they pass through the Jesuits’ territory, who have raised an insurgency against the Spanish government, Candide comes to know about the commander who happens to be the brother of Cunegonde. In spite of not being able to inherit any of his parents’ fortune and his present condition, Baron still considers himself noble. When Candide announces his plan to marry her, the Baron fiercely opposes him, saying she does not deserve to marry a commoner at which he comes to blow with the Baron and escapes to the wilderness where they have had a close shave with the wild tribe, the Biglugs.

After some time, they reach Eldorado and find jewels and gold aplenty over there. The country is not only very peaceful despite having no judicial system but also highly advanced with freedom from want, poverty , and crime. Soon they pack up llamas with jewels and leave for Surinam where Candide plans to purchase the freedom of Cunegonde from the governor by sendingCacambo to Buenos Aires and Candide to Venice so he can escape from the police search. A shrewd merchant, Vanderdendur, also robs him of his jewels on the way and Candide leaves for France to meet Martin, a pessimist.

Martin’s pessimistic nature amazes Candide and his adherence to Manichaeism an ancient religion that emphasizes the presence of original sin. Martin’s pessimism concludes that ‘man was born to live either in state of distracting inquietude or of lethargic disgust. Traveling with him, he comes across the ship of the same merchant who robbed Candide’s fortune and recovers partial jewels, thinking it a poetic justice that Martin does not believe. From Paris, they leave for Venice after several people plunder their wealth, while they meet several other unique individuals such as Paquette, the chambermaid turned to prostitute who gave Pangloss syphilis, and Count Pococurante, a wealthy merchant bored of his fortune surrounded but Cacambo does not turn up. Finally, they find him serving a Turkish monarch where he informs them that Cunegonde is in Constantinople after which they also set sail for Turkey.

Candide finds his mentor, Pangloss, and the Baron in captivity over there. Pangloss no longer believes in this world is the ‘best of all possible worlds’. He soon buys the freedom of both of them and tries to find Cunegonde and the old nurse. To his astonishment, he finds that Cunegonde has become very ugly and after winning their freedom, he purchases a ranch over there. However, finding her brother’s fierce opposition, Candide is forced to send the Baron back to his owners, and yet he does not marry her while all of them settle down there to live a good life despite meeting tiresome boredom. Living there, they meet a farmer spending a very comfortable life, who becomes an inspiration for Candide for working hard to which he devotes the rest of his life, throwing his passion for philosophy to the winds. So, Candide opts for the philosophy of having no philosophy and tells his people, ‘we must cultivate our garden’ and will be able to find happiness in hard work.

Major Themes in Candide

• Optimism: Optimism is the dominant thematic strand and central idea of the novel in that almost all the characters display optimism at one or another time within the storyline. Also, Professor Pangloss fills Candide’s mind with this proposition that there is no “effect without a cause” and that everything has a purpose to serve. Therefore, this optimistic determinism stays with Candide through all of his ordeals, and trials and tribulations. Even when he is in the land of Jesuits or Turkey, he does not lose heart. Even the ugliness of his beloved, Cunegonde does not dishearten him at which the commentary of Pangloss shows that Candide has absorbed this lesson fully that even misfortunes of an individual are for the public welfare.
• Free Will: The second central theme of the novel is the use of free will. Although Candide is free to do everything, he does not exercise his free will all the time. First, he uses it at the behest of his mentor, Pangloss, and second, he uses it when asked by his beloved, Cunegonde. He demonstrates the use of free will at several points when conscripted in the army and when leaving it, yet he fails to exercise it fully without the apparent consent or advice of his mentor. However, by the end, he uses his free will when the baron opposes his marriage with his beloved, Cunegonde, for whom he has come afar to find and win freedom for her in Constantinople.
• Evil: The novel also sheds light on the concept of evil as an intrinsic part of human nature. In this connection, the character of Pangloss does much in that he contends that although evil could be put into rationalization as the cause and its effects, yet human nature has the specific tendency of showing different facets of evil; such as the barbarism of the Bulgars and humanity of the Jesuits or the old woman or Cacambo. The argument of Voltaire that human beings have a huge ability to commit evil seems correct in different circumstances Candide passes through, proving that malice is pervasive, yet the good is also not lost anywhere as the end of the novel shows.
• Pity: The novel shows the thematic strand of pity through the characters of Candide and the old woman, who nurses him to health despite her own deteriorating situation. Also, when Candide comes to know the situation in which Cunegonde finds and informs him about the butchery she has survived, he feels pity not only at her but also later on her surviving brother, the Baron. However, it is another matter that it turns into fierce enmity by the end when the Baron, considering him a commoner, fiercely opposes Candide’s marriage to his sister, Cunegonde. On the other hand, the pity of the old woman on Candide is altruistic and selfless.
• Love: Although the major thematic strand of the novel seems to love, it is woven with several other themes such as optimism, pessimism, and survival, yet it rules supreme as it is the only driving passion in Candide that takes him to Turkey and the land of Jesuits and also makes him go after Cunegonde, his beloved. He faces expulsion from Westphalia and separates again from Pangloss due to the latter’s love for Paquette. It seems that the use of women in the novel shows human desire for love as well as physical intimacy that is insatiable as well as soul-satisfying.
• Wealth: The novel also proves a critique on wealth as Candide finds himself all alone , his beloved and all of her family murdered only because of the wealth. It drives him to visit El- Dorado and finds that the people disregarding wealth have a better life than the ones who are always after wealth. That is why he takes sheep laden with jewels and riches but when he finds himself at the receiving end, it dawns upon him that keeping wealth is not an easy task. The more wealth you accumulate the lonelier you get.
• Religion: The novel presents religion as the main cause of social intolerance apart from temporary wealth, leading to somewhat idiotic thinking and barbaric acts. The role of religion appears prominent when Candide and his mentor meet the Grand Inquisitor who is the leading figure in the land of Jesuits. However, after his death, he is given a resounding funeral, while Don Issachar, being a Jewish in minority, is thrown on the heap of garbage. This shows the religious discrimination and anti-Semitism staying in the public psyche only because of the religious bias fed by the religious clergy.
• Social Status: The novel shows the issue of social status and its impacts on the life of an individual as well as society. Candide could not marry Cunegonde because of his financial as well as social status. Even the Baron fiercely opposes his marriage to her in the end when he sees no other alternative to it. Simultaneously, the life of Candide demonstrates the transitory nature of the social status that brings happiness or sadness to a person in question.
• Uselessness of Philosophy: The novel also sheds light on the uselessness of philosophy, for Pangloss’s optimistic outlook toward life and mentoring of this ideology does not bring Candide or him any good. Rather, it shows a glaring flaw that it is just an abstract argument having no tangible results in the material world.

Major Characters in Candide

• Candide: Candide is not only the major character and protagonist of the novel but also the mouthpiece of Voltaire through whom he has presented the refutation of Leibniz’s philosophical speculations that too much optimism does not do any good to human beings. True to the semantics of his name, Candide stays optimistic and fair toward everyone, yet he could not marry Cunegonde, his beloved, until the end when the Baron again stands against his wishes. Over the course of the story, he comes across love, wealth, care, and even life, yet the philosophical upbringing of Pangloss does him nothing. He stays unchanged until the end, distributes wealth when it comes to charity, and even helps the poor king, yet he is ready to marry Cunegonde whenever he finds an opportunity. The major flaw of Candide is too many expectations from optimism though his final fulfillment of living a satisfying life on a ranch proves his goodness.
• Professor Pangloss: The second significant character and mentor of Candide, Professor Pangloss, is a philosopher and a good mentor who teaches his faithful disciple the value of optimism through his idea that all is best for all the best worlds. His enlightenment takes his disciple to the worlds of which he dreams the least and yet he comes out of it without any conscious effort. However, the flaws in his philosophical speculations are that too much optimism does not do a person any good and that sometimes the person himself becomes skeptical of it as it leads to passivity.
• Martin: A foil to Professor Pangloss, Martin is as passive and pessimistic as Pangloss is active and optimistic. Having a vast experience of the world the declaration of Candide that there is some goodness in the world surprises him. He knows that only wealth cannot satisfy a person as it proves in the case of Paquette and Giroflee. Although his predictions prove true in most cases, he also fails in some cases such as Cacambo and yet he stands by his stance throughout the story.
• Cacambo: The character of Cacambo is intelligent and morally upright. He also knows what he is doing when it comes to Jesuits and Biblugs and deals with both of them well on account of his multilingual skills. Above all, Candide considers him a trustworthy fellow as he sends him to win back Cunegonde, his beloved, despite his slackness in some mundane matters. His inspiration that laws of nature inspire human beings to kill their neighbors is perhaps the contradiction of Pangloss’ philosophy.
• Cunégonde: Beloved of Candide, Cunegonde is the daughter of a baron and yet she comes down from the pedestal of her elitism to love her lowly cousin, Candide, but misfortunes befall upon her when the Bulgars’ attack their castles, killing all of her family members and keeping her alive. After passing through several hands and going through the worst, she finally meets Candide in Constantinople when he sends Cacambo to find her. Her final outlook, however, disappoints readers but not her lover, Candide, who is still ready to marry her despite the staunch opposition of her brother, the Baron.
• The Baron: Cunegonde’s brother, the Baron belongs to a high social class but is left due to his good fortune during the attack of the Bulgars that destroys the castle. He turns to religion and becomes a priest of the Jesuit movement, yet he demonstrates some clues of his being a homosexual. His arrogance does not stop him from preventing Candide from marrying his sister even when she has no prospectus.
• The Old Woman: Claiming to be the daughter of the Pope, the old woman has gone through various trials and tribulations to reach this stage where she nurses Candide and also takes care of his beloved, Cunegonde. Despite her cynicism, she stays positive and helps others out during their misfortunes.
• Jacques: Working as a Dutch Anabaptist, Jacques demonstrates his humanity by taking care of Candide and Pangloss, and yet he stays pessimistic as far as human nature is concerned. Despite this, he loses his life in the sea when saving the life of a sailor.
• Paquette: Paquette serves Cunegonde’s mother, associates with Pangloss, and makes him contract syphilis. When Candide meets her in Venice, he feels sorry over her plight and assists her with money but she squanders everything she gets.
• Don Issachar: Don Issachar buys Cunegonde to be his mistress. However, religion plays its role, when he shares her with the Grand Inquisitor, an act the refusal of which might cost him his life after being declared a heretic.

Writing Style of Candide

Although translated from French, the English version of Candide shows several traits of Voltaire and the application of his idea of demonstrating the world a stage with actors playing their part to show optimism and pessimism. Despite showing some unbelievable incidents and travels including one to the land of Eldorado, the writing style of Candide is superb. The language suits the characters and shows their traits through their dialogues which are down-to-earth natural and direct. The diction is not very difficult, while for literary devices , Voltaire depends mostly on the use of figurative language by using similes, metaphors , and satire .

Analysis of the Literary Devices in Candide

• Action: The main action of the novel comprises the whole life and growth of Candide from being a young man to an old man. The rising action occurs when he is expelled from the castle after he is caught kissing Cunegonde. The falling action occurs when the Baron is enslaved in the galleys.
• Anaphora : The novel shows examples of anaphora such as, i. “Manifestly,” he said, “nothing could have been different. Since everything was designed for a purpose, everything is necessarily meant to serve the best of all purposes. Observe how noses are designed to hold up eyeglasses, and therefore we have eyeglasses. Legs are obviously meant for wearing shoes, and so we have shoes. Rocks having been designed to be quarried and used for building purposes, the Baron has a singularly beautiful mansion. (Chapter-1) ii. Nothing was ever so fine, so elegant, so gleamingly brilliant, so well-ordered as the two armies. (Chapter-3) iii. ‘Everything is linked together and designed for the best. I had to be driven away from Miss Cunégonde, and I had to run the gauntlet, and I have to beg for my bread until I’m able to earn it. Nothing could have been different.’’ (Chapter-3) These examples show the repetitious use of “purpose”, “so” and “I had.”
• Allusion : The novel shows good use of different allusions as given in the below example, i. “In the name of Saint James of Compostela!” said Cacambo. “You were going to fight against the Jesuits: let’s go fight for them. I know how to get there, I’ll bring you to their kingdom. (Chapter-13) ii. Candide had brought with him, from Cadiz, a valet of a type often found on the coasts of Spain and in the colonies. (Chapter-14) iii. I’ve been tempted, a hundred times, to set fire to our monastery and go off and become a Turk. (Chapter-24) iv. The Doge of Venice has his sorrows, the gondoliers have theirs. (Chapter-24) The first example shows the reference to a saint, then to the Jesuits, the rest shows references to geographical entities of Spain, Turkey, and Venice.
• Antagonist : There is no one specific antagonist because first, the Bulgars attack the castle from where Candide is taken as a conscript, then the Inquisitor and the governor also stand against Candide’s desire to marry Cunegonde. Finally, her brother, the Baron, also opposes Candide. All these are minor antagonists in the novel.
• Conflict : The novel shows both external and internal conflicts. The external conflict is going on between Candide and the world. However, the internal conflict is going on in his mind about his beliefs and the reality of the world that he understands through the prism of Pangloss.
• Characters: The novel, Candide, shows both static as well as dynamic characters. The young man, Candide, is a dynamic character as he shows a considerable transformation in his behavior and conduct by the end of the novel. However, all other characters are static as they do not show or witness any transformation such as Pangloss, the Baron, Cunegonde, and Cacambo.
• Climax : The climax in the novel occurs when Candide comes to know about Cunegonde in Turkey after which they decide to marry. However, the Baron opposes this but they find satisfaction in gardening.
• Foreshadowing : The novel shows many instances of foreshadows as given in the examples below, i. In Westphalia, in Baron Thunder-den-tronckh’s mansion, lived a young man born wonderfully mild and gentle. His face revealed his soul. He possessed a sufficiency of good sense, and a profoundly straightforward mind—which is why, I believe, he’d been named Candide. (Chapter-1) ii. Driven out of this earthly paradise, Candide walked for a long time, not knowing where he was going, weeping, raising his eyes to heaven, and constantly looking back toward the noblest of mansions, containing the most beautiful of all baronial daughters. (Chapter-2) The mention of soul, good sense, and driven shows that something is going to happen to Candide whatever he may do.
• Hyperbole : The novel shows various examples of hyperboles such as, i. This Issacar had the worst temper of any Hebrew seen in Israel since the Babylonian captivity. (Chapter-9) ii. “Morocco was swimming in blood when we arrived.” (Chapter-11) iii. They were reduced to such extremities that, in order to preserve their oath, they were obliged to eat the two eunuchs. Some days later, they decided to eat the women. (Chapter-12) These examples exaggerate things as the temper of Issacar, swimming of Morocco, and eating of women or eunuchs.
• Imagery : Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, i. Half the passengers, sickened and weak, close to death from the incredible suffering caused by a ship’s wild rolling, their nerves and all their senses pulled first one way and then another, were quite unable to worry about danger. The other half screamed and said prayers. The sails were stripped away, the masts snapped, the ship was breaking apart. Those who were still able to, worked; none of them knew what they were doing; no one was in charge. (Chapter-5) ii. They fought over us with the fury of their native tigers and lions and snakes . A Moor grabbed my mother ’s right arm, my captain’s chief lieutenant held her left one. A Moorish soldier took her by the leg, and one of our pirates clutched the other one. In a flash, virtually all our maids were pounced on from four different sides. My captain hid me behind his back, wielding a scimitar and killing anyone who tried to get around him. (Chapter-11) These two examples show images used to show feelings, emotions, and movements.
• Metaphor : Candide shows good use of various metaphors as given in the examples below, i. Finally, I saw all our Italian women as well as my mother ripped up, chopped, sliced, massacred by the monsters who were competing for them. (Chapter-11) ii. The soldiers performed the horrible operation on us. The priest applied the same medicine used on children who have just been circumcised. (Chapter-12) These examples show that several things have been compared directly in the novel such as the first shows comparing women to woods and the second shows soldiers working as surgeons.
• Mood : The novel, Candide , shows various moods; it starts with quite a happy mood but turns to tragedy and satire until it reaches its end, showing calmness and peace.
• Motif : Most important motifs of the novel are rape, sexual exploitation, religion, and philosophy.
• Narrator : The novel is narrated from a third-person point of view , who happens to be Voltaire himself.
• Parallelism : The novel shows many instances of parallelism such as, i. He demonstrated perfectly that there was no effect without a cause and that, in this best of all possible worlds, the Baron’s mansion was the most beautiful of all mansions and the Baroness the best of all possible baronesses. (Chapter-1). ii. Driven out of this earthly paradise, Candide walked for a long time, not knowing where he was going, weeping, raising his eyes to heaven, and constantly looking back toward the noblest of mansions, containing the most beautiful of all baronial daughters. (Chapter-2) iii. He hadn’t gone five miles when, suddenly, four other heroes , six feet tall, overtook him, tied him up, and led him to jail. (Chapter-2) These examples show the parallel use of words, phrases , and clauses .
• Protagonist : Candide is the protagonist of the novel. The novel starts with his entry into the world and moves forward as he grows older and optimistic and becomes an experienced young man leading a settled life after all the challenging and near-death experiences.
• Rhetorical Questions : The novel shows good use of rhetorical questions at several places such as, i. “What? You, my dear teacher! You, in that horrible condition! What misfortune could have fallen on you? Why aren’t you still living in the loveliest of all mansions? What’s become of Miss Cunégonde, gem of all women, nature’s masterpiece?’(Chapter-4) ii. “Who are you?” Candide kept asking her. “What inspires you to such kindness ? What could I possibly do for you?” (Chapter-7) This example shows the use of rhetorical questions posed but different characters not to elicit answers but to stress upon the underlined idea.
• Setting : The setting of the novel is both real as well as fiction ; the fictional world is of the land of Eldorado, while the real world comprises France, Turkey, and Venice.
• Simile : The novel shows excellent use of various similes such as, i. We set sail on a local ship, gilded like Saint Peter’s altar in Rome. (Chapter-11) ii. At last, they came to a large dwelling, built like a European palace. (Chapter-17) These are similes as the use of the word “like” shows the comparison between different things.

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An Analysis of the Novel “Candide: or, The Optimist” by Voltaire

The philosophical satire “Candide: or, The Optimist” was created by the famous French writer of the Age of Enlightenment in the late fifties of the XVIII century. One of the most popular works of Voltaire experienced a strange turn of fate. It was forbidden for a long time because of the “sort of improper things”, and the writer himself one day acknowledged his authorship, another day repudiated it.

A real historic event inspired Voltaire to write Candide. It was the Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755. In the story, the event holds a central place where the life paths of Candide and the philosopher Pangloss diverge, the storyline of Candide’s and Cunégonde’s love emerges, and the real adventures of the protagonist begin.

From the compositional point of view, this is the climax of the novel. Before arriving in Lisbon Candide aimlessly roamed the world, but when he found his lost lover he woke up and rushed headlong into the thick of life. Under the influence of love a peaceful philosopher turns immediately into a defender of the lady-love: at first he kills a rich Jew, then an inquisitor. Upon the arrival of the heroes in South America, Candide runs a sword through Cunégonde’s brother, who does not want his sister to get married with a man without seventy-two generations of ancestors. Candide does it as naturally as if he has been doing this all his life. However, all murders in the story are purely of an external nature. All the hanged, burned, stabbed and raped characters come out to be alive due to some divine circumstances and mastery of the healers. Thus, the author partly justifies the second title of his novel – “The Optimist”, partly entertains the reader in the best traditions of the picaresque novel.

The adventurous beginning of “Candide” is incredibly strong. The travels of the main hero through Europe, South America and the Middle East countries are the basis for revealing Voltaire’s world order. The writer shows the historical and cultural realities of his time (for example, the military expedition of Portugal and Spain against the Paraguayan Jesuits in 1756 or the Japanese custom of trampling the Christian crucifix after the trade with the Dutch), as well as the legends that live among the people (about the wonderful country of Eldorado). By the way, in the story this mythical state of universal happiness and contentment contrasts with the really existing world. Only in Eldorado people do not take money for lunch, do not steal, do not get imprisoned, do not sue each other. They have everything they need for happiness, and this is certainly the best country ever. In the normal world, in spite of the big talks of the Candide’s teacher, the philosopher Pangloss and his real prototype the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz, everything is anything but for the good.

The protagonist with a self-explanatory name Candide (that is, “sincere”, “open-hearted”), at first, takes the words of his teacher for the truth, but life teaches him the opposite. All people, who a young man meets, tels him horrific stories of their life. Misfortunes accompany the characters, regardless of their social status: in “Candide” both royalty and ordinary people live equally bad. The female beauty of Cunégonde, for example, becomes a real curse for the girl: all men want her, but no one, except Candide, wants to enjoy the beauty on legal grounds. In the novel “Candide: or, The Optimist”, Voltaire smiles at public perception and vices, culture and religion, feelings and deeds. Out of his hero’s mouth, the Venetian noble Pococurante, the representative of the French Enlightenment speaks unkindly about the opinion imposed by the society regarding the works of art to be held in veneration. At the same time, the author also laughs at Pococurante, because he sees him as a person not so much rebellious as bending under public perception.

Some remarks of the heroes turn the author’s irony into a real anecdote. For example, Candide explains the murder of a Jew and a prelate by the fact that “…when a man is in love, is jealous, and has been flogged by the Inquisition, he becomes lost to all reflection”. While crying about the stolen diamonds, Cunégonde asks herself what to exist on and in a very fine feminine way notes: “Where shall I find Inquisitors and Jews who can give me more?”.

The satirical beginning of the story is bound up in its philosophical part. “Candide: or, The Optimist” ends with the wisdom of an old Turk, who gave the heroes a cue how to live in a world full of evil and suffering. According to the Eastern sage, the true happiness of a man is in labor, which is not scattered throughout the earth, but concentrated on your small garden plot.

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Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Voltaire's Candide . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Candide: Introduction

Candide: plot summary, candide: detailed summary & analysis, candide: themes, candide: quotes, candide: characters, candide: symbols, candide: theme wheel, brief biography of voltaire.

Historical Context of Candide

Other books related to candide.

• Full Title: Candide: or, Optimism
• When Written: 1758-1759
• Where Written: Ferney, France
• When Published: 1759
• Literary Period: Lumières / Age of Enlightenment
• Genre: Satirical Novel / Philosophical Novel / Coming-of-Age Novel / Picaresque
• Setting: Germany, Portugal, Spain, Buenos Aires, Paraguay, France, Venice, and Constantinople.
• Climax: Candide, Cunégonde, and the other characters are reunited in Turkey, where they plan to live out the rest of their lives cultivating their garden.
• Point of View: Third-person omniscient

Extra Credit for Candide

Public Intellectual. Because of the close relationship between his political, philosophical, and literary activities, as well as his tremendous influence, Voltaire is often seen as one of the world's first and greatest public intellectuals.

“Let us eat the Jesuit. Let us eat him up!” This phrase, from the chapter with the Oreillons, became part of popular speech in France after Candide's publication—just one indicator of the book's incredible popularity.

The Folly of Optimism: “Candide” by Voltaire Essay

Put in print in 1759, Candide has been considered as one of the most Voltaire’s masterpiece. In Candide, Voltaire sharply criticized the corruptible power of the nobility, futile speculations of philosophy, religious hypocrisy, cruelty and the folly of optimism. Even though Candide in many instances have been considered as representative manuscript of enlightenment, the book satirizes many philosophies of the enlightenment and makes it obvious that enlightenment was far distance from huge movement it purports to be.

The book is a reflection of the Voltaire’s enduring dislike of the powerful religious regimes and the superciliousness of the French nobility. In contrast, Candide leveled Voltaire’s criticism against the enlightenment philosophical movement. Candid attacked the optimistic school of thought assertion that rational thinking was capable of ending the tribulations committed by humans.

Voltaire examined in depth the folly of optimism and his attack can be seen in Pangloss optimistic philosophy. “Pangloss granted teaching in the metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology. He splendidly attested that there cannot perhaps be a consequence with no cause and that in this probably best world the castle that belonged to the baron was the most stunning amongst every castle and of all baronesses, his wife was ideally the best.

Pangloss alleged that, ‘Most things might not appear beyond what they currently look like given that all things became into being to manifestly serve the preeminent end’. In fact, we have spectacles owing to the fact that noses were created to support the spectacles’ (Voltaire, 8).

Pangloss philosophy as quoted is one of the most important targets of Voltaire’s sardonic poke. Pangloss and his student Candide believed that individuals subsist ‘in the best of every probable world’ (Voltaire, 8). However, the appalling life they were going through was in total contrast to the belief.

In fact, their belief was similar to the beliefs of most famous philosophers during Voltaire’s epoch. Basically, Leibniz affirmed that given that the caring Lord made the universe out of imagination, the universe ought to be best possible. The human perception under such systems is that evils exist because people do not understand the underlying forces which control the world. Thus, they are not aware that evils exist for the larger betterment.

In the excerpt, Voltaire (8) did not merely disparage the ensuing philosophical sanguinity but equally the philosophical eccentricity of Enlightenment. Many philosophers of enlightenment such as Leibniz emphasized more on the interactions of causal-effect.

The spectacle and breeches argument by Pangloss clearly shows a ridiculous incapacity in distinguishing causal-effect. According to Voltaire (8) assertions, the almighty Lord had no intentions of creating noses to suit spectacles but He planned for the reverse. Basically, Voltaire had the intentions of clarifying eminent defects witnessed in the philosophy of enlightenment.

It is apparent in Candide that uphill struggles serve as the supreme therapy for any kind of boredom. Nevertheless, just as Pangloss pointed out in the novel, the cure brings to mind the days of mankind in the Eden’s Garden (Voltaire, 83), where man was the controller of everything.

It similarly emerged that the characters providence were ideally controlled in their respective petite plots, and this has not been amicably realized until this moment (Voltaire, 86). Indeed, their lives in the mercy of circumstances have now been literally replaced. They are now reaping what they had sowed. Surprisingly, the fictional argument in opposition to optimism can be given a happy ending and the reader might thus be left wondering whether Pangloss was right in claiming to be living ‘in the probably best worlds’.

The allegations and the arguments against it are however confined by the way of life the characters have found out. In the concluding phrase, Candide asserted that there was no ample room in gardening which would permit rational speculation and this implied that human beings are bound to be fruitful and glad as a consequence.

Works Cited

Voltaire. Candide . Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/candide_librivox

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IvyPanda. (2018, October 11). The Folly of Optimism: "Candide" by Voltaire. https://ivypanda.com/essays/candide-by-voltaire/

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• Voltaire’s Candide: Summary & Analysis

Voltaire’s Candide is the story of an innocent man’s experiences in a mad and evil world, his struggle to survive in that world, and his need to ultimately come to terms with it. All people experience the turmoil of life and must overcome obstacles, both natural and man-made, in order to eventually achieve happiness. In life, “man must find a medium between what Martin (scholar and companion to Candide) calls the “convulsions of anxiety” and the “lethargy of boredom” (Richter 137).

After a long and difficult struggle in which Candide is forced to overcome misfortune to find happiness, he concludes that all is not well (as he has previously been taught by his tutor, Dr. Pangloss), and that he must work in order to find even a small amount of pleasure in life.

Candide grows up in the Castle of Westphalia and is taught by the learned philosopher, Dr. Pangloss. Candide is abruptly exiled from the castle when found kissing the Baron’s daughter, Cunegonde. Devastated by the separation from Cunegonde, his true love, Candide sets out to different places in the hope of finding her and achieving total happiness.

On his journey, he faces a number of misfortunes, among them being tortured during army training, yet he continues to believe that there is a “cause and effect” for everything. Candide is reunited with Cunegonde, and regains a life of prosperity, but soon all is taken away, including his beloved Cunegonde. He travels on, and years later he finds her again, but she is now fat and ugly.

His wealth is all gone and so is his love for the Baron’s daughter. Throughout Candide, we see how accepting situations and not trying to change or overcome obstacles can be damaging. Life is full of struggles, but it would be nonproductive if people passively accepted whatever fate had in store for them, shrugging off their personal responsibility. Voltaire believes that people should not allow themselves to be victims.

He sneers at naive, accepting types, informing us that people must work to reach their utopia (Bottiglia 93).

In Candide, reality and “the real world” are portrayed as being disappointing. Within the Baron’s castle, Candide is able to lead a Utopian life. After his banishment, though, he recognizes the evil of the world, seeing man’s sufferings. The only thing that keeps Candide alive is his hope that things will get better. Even though the world is filled with disaster, Candide has an optimistic attitude that he adopted from Dr. Pangloss’ teachings.

In spite of his many trials, Candide believes that all is well and everything is for the best. Only once, in frustration, does he admit that he sometimes feels that optimism is “the mania of maintaining that all is well when we are miserable” (Voltaire 41).

Candide’s enthusiastic view of life is contrasted with, and challenged by the suffering which he endures throughout the book. Voltaire wrote this book in a mocking and satirical manner in order to express his opinion that passive optimism is foolish (Richter 134). Candide eventually learns how to achieve happiness in the face of misadventure. He learns that in order to attain a state of contentment, one must be part of society where there is a collective effort and work.

Labor, Candide learns, eliminates the three curses of mankind: want, boredom, and vice. In order to create such a society, man must do the following: love his fellow man, be just, be vigilant, know how to make the best of a bad situation, and keep from theorizing. Martin expresses this last requirement for such a society succinctly when he says, “Let’s work without speculating; it’s the only way of rendering life bearable” (Voltaire 77).

One of the last people that Candide meets in his travels is an old, poor Turkish farmer who teaches Candide a lesson that allows him to come to terms with the world and to settle down happily. The revelation occurs when Candide and his friends hear of the killing of two intimate advisors of the sultan, and they ask the Turkish farmer if he could give them more details about the situation.

“I know nothing of it, said the good man, and I have never cared to know the name of a single mufti [advisor] or vizier [sultan]… I presume that in general those who meddle in public business sometimes perish miserably and that they deserve their fate; but I am satisfied with sending the fruits of my garden there.” (Voltaire 76) Upon learning that this man did not own “an enormous and splendid property” (Voltaire 76), but rather a mere twenty acres that he cultivates with his children, Candide is startled.

He sees that the man is happy with his life, and at that point, Candide decides to build his own life around the principle of being productive. He decides that all he needs to be happy is a garden to cultivate so that he, too, can keep from the three great evils. Candide’s garden symbolizes his surrender to the world and his acceptance of it. He eventually realizes that his former ambitions of finding and achieving a perfect state of happiness were fulfilled, though his successes were not as great as he had wished. Instead, he has found happiness in a simple way of life.

He also learns that everything in life is not evil, which he perceived to be the case while undergoing misfortunes. He also concludes that Dr. Pangloss was right all along, “everything is for the best.” Throughout the entire book, we observe Candide searching for happiness, sustained by his dream of achieving that happiness. He believes, in his optimistic way, that he will find Cunegonde, his true love, and Dr. Pangloss, his mentor, and all will be well. When Candide is reunited with both he realizes that he was right not to lose hope.

In essence, it was Candide’s optimism that keeps him from a state of total dejection, maintaining his sanity during troubled times. Candide eventually achieves happiness with his friends in their simple, yet full, lives. The book’s ending affirms Voltaire’s moral that one must work to attain satisfaction. Work helps Candide overcome his tragedies and enables him to live peacefully and in contentment.

The message of Candide is: “Don’t rationalize, but work; Don’t utopianize, but improve. We must cultivate our own garden, for no one is going to do it for us” (Richter 161).

Works Cited

Bottiglia, William. “Candide’s Garden.” Voltaire: A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.

Richter, Peyton. Voltaire. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1980.

Tsanoff, Radoslav. Voltaire’s Candide and the Critics. California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc., 1966.

Voltaire. Candide. New York: Viking Publishers, 1976.

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Candide Study Guide

Imagine that since childhood you have been told that you live in the best of all houses. The world around you is the best of all possible ones. But suddenly, the miracle dissipates, and you find yourself in the street without any means for existence. You will doubt the optimistic ideals, won’t you? But for Voltaire’s protagonist, it was just the beginning.

This Candide Study Guide will help you in the course of analytical reading.

It will answer all of your questions regarding the characters , themes , Voltaire’s philosophy , and social problems in the novella.

Candide Key Facts

Candide study guide: articles.

• The novel’s summary This article contains a plot summary of Candide. An illustrated timeline and detailed chapter summaries are also to be found here.
• Character analysis Want to know more about Candide characters? Candide, Pangloss, Cunégonde, and other characters in Candide are analyzed in this article.
• Candide themes What is the key theme of the novel? Find here the answer to this question! Religion, optimism, and the ideas of Enlightenment are analyzed here.
• Literary analysis This section analyzes the principal symbols the author used in the book as well as its setting, irony, satire, and the ending’s meaning.
• Essay topics and examples Need to write an essay on Candide ? We’ve collected best essay topics, questions, prompts, and examples for you on one page.
• Candide Q&A Looking for questions and answers about the novel? On this page, you’ll find the answers to the most pressing questions about Candide. Enjoy!

Historical Context of Candide

We should read Candide in the context of the society that existed in the middle of the 18 th century. It was different from our modern world in many ways.

The government exerted immense influence on the Christian Church in Europe. The Jesuits were scattered and in a weak position. Meanwhile, all the lands pertained to the Church. Thus, the monarchy was interested in controlling all of them. It made the clergy corrupt and more involved in mundane issues than they had to be.

Candide describes certain events of the Seven Years’ War (1756 – 1763). France, Austria, Sweden, Russia, and Saxony fought against Great Britain, Prussia, and Hanover. The two Bulgar soldiers Candide meets in Chapter 2 wore blue, which means they represent the Prussian army. The Abars that appear by the end of the same chapter stand for the French people.

The Inquisition in Spain and Portugal were active in Voltaire’s times. Since 1478, this governmental institution has killed heretics. But along with those who did not believe in God, many other innocent people were ruthlessly murdered. Protestants, Jews, and all those who questioned Catholicism were tortured. Voltaire ironically describes these events in his works, showing the religious hypocrisy and futility of such spiritual efforts.

Candide is a signature text of the Enlightenment . Still, it criticizes some philosophers of the same literary period, notably Leibniz and his followers. This fact indicates that the Enlightenment never was a consistent movement. But all of its advocates supported the supremacy of reason above religion and the ideas of democracy.

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If you are looking for Candide summary and analysis, you’re in the right place! This article by Custom Writing experts contains an illustrated plot summary as well as detailed chapter summaries of Candide by Voltaire. 📈 Candide Plot Summary In Candide, Voltaire ironizes optimism and romance. His protagonist goes through...

If you’re looking for descriptions of Candide characters, you’re in the right place! Candide, Pangloss, Cunégonde, and other characters in Candide are analyzed in this article by Custom-Writing.org experts. 🗺️ Candide Character Map Below you’ll find Candide character map. It contains all the key characters that appear in the story. ...

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Candide was written when people were not ready to hear it. Voltaire chose the genre of satire for this very reason. But nowadays, it is still understandable and topical in some aspects. If you’re looking for Candide questions and answers, you’re in the right place! This section prepared by Custom-Writing.org...

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Voltaire was an ardent advocate of the freedom of speech. He criticized aristocracy, clergy, and the government. He stood for tolerance, reason, and limited government or an enlightened monarch. In a word, he pushed for social reformation in all its forms, leading to a more educated, tolerant, and cultured society....

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Candide’s adventures and misfortunes begin when he is expelled from the castle for his kiss with Cunégonde, the Baron’s beautiful daughter. In order not to starve to death, Candide is recruited into the Bulgarian army. There he is beaten ruthlessly for a desertion attempt. Later, he barely escapes death in...

Pangloss taught Candide in the Baron’s castle. He was a philosopher whose beliefs were limited to optimism in every aspect of life. He thought that humans lived in the best possible world. In particular, every event was for the better, even the most horrible or deplorable one. More Information Pangloss...

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Candide takes place in real and fictional locations of Europe and Latin America. There are no indications of the historical period in the novella. However, Chapter 5 describes the earthquake in Lisbon that took place in 1755. The action lasts during almost all of Candide’s lifetime. That is why the...

Candide was the culmination of Voltaire’s work. The impetus for its creation was the famous Lisbon earthquake on November 1, 1755, when the flourishing city was destroyed, and many people died. This event renewed the controversy surrounding Gottfried Leibniz. The German philosopher claimed that humanity lived in the best of...

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Francois Voltaire’s “Candide, or Optimism”: Analysis of Satire

In the scope of classical literature, the writings of Francois Voltaire occupy a prominent position. Voltaire’s renowned shrewd outlook and sober judgment found reflection in his famous satire Candide, or Optimism – a book which, met with a scandal immediately after publication, has enjoyed great popularity for centuries due to the vital and burning problems discussed in it. Candide can be viewed as “a satire on systems; a discussion of the problem of evil; a comparison of Utopia and reality; a pursuit of the secret of happiness; an education…” (Pearson 110). As such, Candide is the story of education of its hero, a young and naïve man called Candide, raised in a Westphalian baron’s estate and truly believing his preacher Pangloss that all is for good in this world and things cannot be different from what they are. However, after being banished from the castle as a result of affair with the baron’s daughter, Cunegonde, Candide opens his eyes on a less perfect world than he imagined he was living in.

Being simple-hearted by nature, Candid, exhausted by hunger and cold, easily falls victim of Bulgarian army recruiters and learns his first lessons of human cruelty during the regiment training and the battle with the Abares. Escaping from horrible pictures of wartime devastation, he faces a heartless reception by a religious Dutch couple and is rescued from his misery by a generous Anabaptist, who later on gives shelter to Pangloss as well. Pangloss tells the story of the baron’s family gory perishing but despite all their hard experiences both heroes still keep a firm belief that all that happens is unavoidable and occurs for the best:

“private misfortunes make the general good, so that the more private misfortunes there are the greater is the general good” (Voltaire 15).

However, after a shipwreck on the way to Lisbon and an earthquake there casing local authorities to conduct an auto-da-fe during which Pangloss was hanged, Candid starts to doubt the true goodness of this world: “If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others?” (Voltaire 17). His spirits raise again when he discovers that his beloved Cunegonde is alive, but they need to flee to Cadiz for Candid kills the owners disgracing her. On the way to Buenos Ayres Cunegonde’s old servant tells her tragic story and teaches the young couple to preserve love for life despite all the distresses.

Buenos Ayres governor is so charmed by Cunegonde that he decides to marry her, thus causing Candid to conflict him and flee again. With his loyal valet Cacambo he goes to Paraguay where he meets his sweetheart’s brother, whom he kills as a result of argument over marrying Cunegonde and escapes further, finding shelter in El Dorado, a land of riches and honest people, where he learns that people should live a simple life and no religious institutions should govern them.

Loaded with gold, Candide goes back hoping to ransom Cunegonde, and meets with human cruelty, greediness and betrayal. Seeing a savagely treated black slave, he renounces his optimism which is “the madness of maintaining that everything is right when it is wrong” (Voltaire 41). Inventing ways to get his beloved back, Candide travels back to Europe, stopping in France, England and Italy, everywhere seeing the worst sides of human nature and arguing about the way of the world with his new companion, a pessimistically-minded Dutchman Martin. “All is misery and illusion” becomes his new motto (Voltaire 54).

After a long journey which brings him to Constantinople, brings him together with baron’s son and Pangloss again and opens his eyes on Cunegonde’s misery, Candide finally settles down, but life does not bring satisfaction to him and his friends. Only after an encounter with a Turk who enjoys his life does Candid realize the simple truth: “we must cultivate our garden” (Voltaire 70). By these words he means that not philosophical disputes about everything on earth but practical everyday actions are the only way to live a peaceful and fulfilling life, for only “with solidarity and tolerance man can ameliorate his condition” (Patrick).

All in all, Candide represents a way of becoming sage and wise by a young man formerly believing in everything he was preached by his master. Many of its lessons are timely for modern youth who are starting on their own path in life.

Works Cited

Henry, Patrick. “ Contre Barthes ”. Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century 249 (1987). Web.

Pearson, Roger. The Fables of Reason: A Study of Voltaire’s “Contes Philosophiques”. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993.

Voltaire, Francois. Candide, or Optimism. 2nd ed. Trans. and ed. Robert M. Adams. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 1991.

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by Voltaire

Candide summary and analysis of chapters i-iv.

Endowed with an "honest mind" and "great simplicity of heart," Candide lives in the castle of the Baron of Westphalia. He is rumored to be the illegitimate son of the Baroness, an imposing three hundred and fifty-pound woman. His tutor Pangloss , who inspires from an early age the greatest reverence, instills in him a doctrine of optimism whereby "everything is for the best." One day, Candide and Miss Cunégonde , the attractive daughter of the Baron, kiss behind a screen. The Baron discovers them and banishes Candide from the castle.

In despair over his newfound state of exile and separation from Miss Cunégonde, Candide finds consolation in a tavern with two men, who invite him to dinner. But they soon put him in shackles and consign him to the army of the King of the Bulgars. Candide is whipped into discipline and emerges a military prodigy, much to his own astonishment. When he innocently wanders outside the camp to take a morning walk, he is accused of defection. The King pardons him of the crime, saving Candide from further flogging and punishment by the army.

Candide escapes from the Bulgar army during a gruesome battle with the neighboring Abares and travels to Holland, where Jacques the Anabaptist charitably takes Candide under his care. Walking in the street, Candide comes upon a beggar in wretched condition and tosses him a few coins. The man reveals himself to be Pangloss, who narrowly escaped a vicious and bloody attack at the Castle of Westphalia. He informs Candide that Miss Cunégonde was raped and killed, and the Baron's skull bashed in. Pangloss also explains that his physical deterioration is due to a bout of syphilis, transmitted by Miss Cunégonde's maidservant Paquette . When Candide challenges Pangloss to reconcile his personal misfortune with his doctrine of optimism, Pangloss stubbornly rationalizes his own illness as a "necessary ingredient." "Private misfortunes make for public welfare," he concludes. Dispensing with further philosophical debate, Candide pragmatically pays a doctor to heal Pangloss.

With Candide's expulsion from the idyllic castle of Westphalia, the opening chapter is a thinly veiled re-enactment of Adam and Eve's exile from the Garden of Eden and the scene of original sin. Candide is very much in dialogue with eighteenth-century debates over Christianity, which was evolving in a paradoxically more secular direction away from strict adherence to religious duties and commandments toward a more reason-based approach to ethical behavior.

The concept of genealogical relations and the social legitimacy they confer is thoroughly satirized, first in the description of Miss Cunégonde's flawless nobility, then in Pangloss's explanation of his syphilis contamination, which he traces all the way back to Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas. Voltaire succeeds in making a pointed commentary about the arbitrariness of privilege and wealth, but also misfortune and poverty. In his view, there is about as much nobility in having descended from several thousands years of uninterrupted aristocracy as there is in having caught a venereal disease originally transmitted by the famous explorer of New World.

Voltaire weaves together an extraordinary set of plot coincidences in which characters' fates will intersect with one another, in a totally unexpected but always fortuitous way. Those long presumed dead, such as Miss Cunégonde, Pangloss, and the Baron, will suddenly reappear after a prolonged absence from the storyline. Candide's encounter with Pangloss represents the first such example of this plot maneuver, which is intended to highlight the doctrine of optimism that this character promotes, namely, that everything happens for a reason. The improbability of such spontaneous reunions makes their frequency in Candide attributable to more than mere chance; there must be some larger and intentional design behind the unbroken concatenation of character relations. From the perspective of the reader, these coincidences quickly stretch the bounds of realism and become almost comical and over-the-top narrative twists by virtue of their improbability.

Candide Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Candide is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

From what disease does Pangloss suffer?

Early in the novel, we learn that Pangloss suffers with syphilis.

Why does the narrator include the details about the old servants about the boron's sister and candide

The narrator is providing background information describing Candide, what might be his family history, and what his future might hold. From this short excerpt, we know that Candide's upbringing and his family tree does not guarantee his future.

Which inference about the Baron and his family is best supported by paragraphs 1 and 2?

"Which inference" means that you have been provided with answer choices for your question. Please include all information in your posts.

Study Guide for Candide

Candide study guide contains a biography of Voltaire, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Candide
• Candide Summary
• Character List
• Chapters I-IV Summary and Analysis

Essays for Candide

Candide essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Candide.

• The Child-like Scientist: A Study of the Similarities Between Jonathan Swifts' Gulliver's Travels and Voltaire's Candide in Reference to Satire Developed through Naivete
• Resignation to Realism in Voltaire's Candide
• A Life On a Page
• Candide and Military Satire

Lesson Plan for Candide

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Candide
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Candide Bibliography

E-Text of Candide

Candide e-text contains the full text of Candide by Voltaire.

• Introduction (1918 ed.)
• I. How Candide was brought up in a Magnificent Castle, and how he was expelled thence
• II. What became of Candide among the Bulgarians
• III. HOW CANDIDE MADE HIS ESCAPE FROM THE BULGARIANS, AND WHAT AFTERWARDS BECAME OF HIM.
• IV. HOW CANDIDE FOUND HIS OLD MASTER PANGLOSS, AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM.

Wikipedia Entries for Candide

• Introduction
• Historical and literary background
• List of characters

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Top 11 Highest IQ Ever Recorded

The top 11 highest iqs ever recorded are estimated to be between 250 and 300. these individuals are incredibly intelligent and have made significant contributions to their fields of study. learn more about these brilliant minds and their remarkable accomplishments. as of 2024, the highest iq ever recorded is of younghoon kim from south korea whose iq is 276. .

Intelligence is a complex trait that is difficult to define, let alone measure accurately. IQ tests are one of the most common methods used to assess intelligence, but they are not without their limitations.

IQ tests measure a person's ability to think logically, solve problems, and learn new information. However, they do not measure other important aspects of intelligence, such as creativity, social skills, and emotional intelligence. 

Additionally, IQ tests are biased against certain groups of people, such as minorities and people from low-income backgrounds.

Despite their limitations, IQ tests can be a useful tool for identifying children who may need extra help in school. 

They can also be used to assess the cognitive abilities of adults who are suspected of having learning disabilities or other cognitive impairments.

The highest IQ ever recorded is estimated to be between 250 and 300. However, it is important to note that IQ tests are not perfect, and there is some debate about the accuracy of the highest scores that have been recorded.

Some people believe that IQ tests are not a reliable measure of intelligence and that the highest scores are simply the result of test-taking skills rather than true intelligence. 

Others believe that it is possible for people to have IQs of 250 or higher, but that these people are very rare.

• YoungHoon Kim
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 
• Leonardo da Vinci
• James Clerk Maxwell 
• Nicolaus Copernicus 
• William James Sidis 
• Carl Friedrich Gauss
• Nikola Tesla 
• Francois Marie Arouet (Voltaire)
• Christopher Hirata 
• Terence Tao 

1. YoungHoon Kim

Source: Giga Society

2. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

Source: StageMilk

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German polymath, meaning that he had a wide range of knowledge and expertise in many different fields. 

He was a scientist, poet, playwright, novelist, and artist. He was also a government official and diplomat.

Goethe's IQ is estimated to have been between 210 and 225. This is a very high IQ, and it is clear that Goethe was a highly intelligent individual.

Goethe's contributions to science were significant. He founded the science of human chemistry and developed an early theory of evolution. He also made important contributions to optics and mineralogy.

Goethe's contributions to literature are also significant. He is considered one of the greatest poets and playwrights of all time. 

His poetic drama Faust is still studied and performed today. Goethe also wrote several novels, including The Sorrows of Young Werther and Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship.

Goethe's contributions to art are also significant. He was a skilled painter and sculptor. He also designed several buildings and gardens.

3. Leonardo da Vinci

Source: History.com

Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most brilliant and versatile minds of all time. He was a master of painting, sculpture, architecture, engineering, and science. 

His IQ is estimated to have been between 180 and 220, which would have placed him among the most intelligent people in history.

• A flying machine that was based on the flight of birds.
• An armoured vehicle that could withstand cannon fire.
• An adding machine that was far ahead of its time.

Da Vinci's inventions were often ahead of their time, and many of them were not built until centuries after his death. However, his ideas have had a profound impact on the development of technology.

4. James Clerk Maxwell 

Source; Wikipedia 

James Clerk Maxwell was a Scottish mathematical physicist who is considered one of the most influential scientists of the 19th century. 

His estimated IQ scores range from 190 to 205 by different measures. James’s work on electromagnetism laid the foundation for our understanding of radio waves, microwaves, and light.

Maxwell developed a set of four equations that describe the behaviour of electric and magnetic fields. These equations are known as Maxwell's equations, and they are one of the most important equations in physics.

Maxwell's equations predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves, which are waves that travel through space at the speed of light. 

Electromagnetic waves include radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and gamma rays.

Maxwell's work on electromagnetism has had a profound impact on our understanding of the universe. 

Electromagnetic waves are used in a wide variety of technologies, including radio, television, radar, microwave ovens, lasers, and medical imaging devices.

In addition to his work on electromagnetism, Maxwell also made significant contributions to other areas of physics, including thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and the kinetic theory of gases.

5. Nicolaus Copernicus 

Source: Wikisource

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish mathematician and astronomer who is considered one of the most important figures in the history of science. His IQ ranked from 160 to 200. 

He is best known for his heliocentric model of the solar system, which placed the sun at the centre rather than the Earth.

Copernicus's heliocentric model was a radical departure from the prevailing geocentric model, which had been the accepted view of the universe for centuries. 

The geocentric model placed the Earth at the centre of the universe, with the sun and other planets orbiting around it.

Copernicus's heliocentric model was based on his careful observations of the planets and stars. He noticed that the planets did not move in perfect circles around the Earth, as the geocentric model predicted. He also noticed that the speed of the planets varied as they orbited the sun.

Copernicus concluded that the sun must be at the centre of the universe and that the planets orbit around it. 

He published his heliocentric model in his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) in 1543.

6. William James Sidis 

Source: IMDb

William James Sidis was an American child prodigy with an estimated IQ of 200-300, making him one of the most intelligent people ever recorded. 

He was able to read the New York Times by the age of two, and by the time he was six, he spoke eight languages, including English, Latin, French, German, Russian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Armenian.

Sidis was accepted to Harvard University at the age of nine, but the university refused to enrol him until he was 11, out of concern for his maturity. 

Even so, Sidis quickly distinguished himself at Harvard, excelling in mathematics and philosophy. He was also a gifted musician and composer.

After graduating from Harvard at the age of 16, Sidis went on to study at Columbia University. However, he became increasingly disillusioned with academia and society as a whole. 

He withdrew from public life and worked a variety of odd jobs, including as a waiter and a factory worker.

7. Carl Friedrich Gauss 

Source: Wikipedia 

Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician who is widely considered to be the greatest mathematician of all time. He had an IQ of 250 to 300

He made significant contributions to many areas of mathematics, including number theory, algebra, statistics, and analysis.

Gauss was a child prodigy. He could do complex math problems in his head at a very young age. At the age of 11, he discovered a method for calculating the sum of all the positive integers from 1 to 100. 

This method, now known as Gauss's circle method, is still taught in schools today. Gauss made many important contributions to number theory. 

8. Nikola Tesla 

Source: OCD-UK

Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor and electrical engineer who is considered one of the most important figures in the history of electricity. 

He was born in 1856 in Smiljan, Austria-Hungary (now Croatia), and emigrated to the United States in 1884. Tesla had a brilliant mind and had an IQ range from 160 to 310. 

He made many important contributions to the field of electricity, including the development of alternating current (AC) electricity, which is the standard form of electricity used today. 

Tesla also invented the Tesla coil, a device that generates high-voltage, low-current electricity.

Tesla's work on AC electricity was revolutionary. 

At the time, direct current (DC) electricity was the dominant form of electricity, but Tesla argued that AC electricity was superior because it could be transmitted over long distances more efficiently. Tesla's AC system eventually won out, and it is now used all over the world.

Tesla's Tesla coil is another one of his most famous inventions. It is a device that generates high-voltage, low-current electricity. 

Tesla coils are often used in science fiction movies and television shows, but they have also been used in some practical applications, such as wireless power transmission.

9. Francois Marie Arouet (Voltaire)

Source: History and Biography 

Francois Marie Arouet, better known by his pen name Voltaire was a towering figure in the French Enlightenment, a period of intellectual ferment and social reform that spanned the 18th century. 

He was a prolific writer and philosopher, producing works in a wide range of genres, including essays, plays, poems, and novels.

Voltaire's satire was his most powerful weapon against the French government and aristocracy. He used irony, sarcasm, and hyperbole to expose the hypocrisy, corruption, and injustice of the ancient régime. 

His most famous satirical work is the novel Candide, which tells the story of a young man who travels the world and learns that life is not always as rosy as it seems.

10. Christopher Hirata 

Source: The Lantern

Christopher Hirata is one of the most brilliant astrophysicists of our time. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of the early universe, dark matter, and dark energy. 

His work has been published in some of the most prestigious scientific journals, and he has received numerous awards for his research.

Hirata's IQ is estimated to be 225, which would place him in the top 0.001% of the population. This level of intelligence is truly exceptional, and it is no surprise that Hirata has been able to achieve such great things in astrophysics.

Hirata's most notable achievements include his work on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). 

The CMB is the leftover radiation from the Big Bang, and it contains a wealth of information about the early universe. 

Hirata has used the CMB to study the formation of the first stars and galaxies, and he has also used it to measure the properties of dark matter and dark energy.

Hirata has also made significant contributions to the study of gravitational lensing. Gravitational lensing is the phenomenon where light from distant objects is bent by the gravity of intervening objects. 

11. Terence Tao 

Source: UCLA Newsroom

Terence Tao is one of the most brilliant mathematicians of our time. He has made significant contributions to a wide range of mathematical fields, including number theory, harmonic analysis, and partial differential equations. 

His work has had a profound impact on our understanding of these fields, and he is considered to be one of the leading mathematicians in the world.

Tao's IQ is estimated to be between 211 and 230, which would place him in the top 0.01% of the population. 

This level of intelligence is truly exceptional, and it is no surprise that Tao has been able to achieve such great things in mathematics.

Tao's most notable achievements include his work on the Green-Tao theorem, which states that there are arbitrarily long arithmetic progressions of prime numbers. 

He also made significant contributions to the study of the Navier-Stokes equations, which are a set of partial differential equations that describe the motion of fluids.

Tao has been awarded numerous awards for his work, including the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics. 

He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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