Transcript Slide 1
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. French author, humanist, rationalist, & satirist (1694 - 1778) Voltaire Voltaire: pen name for François-Marie Arouet Born into a middle class French family November 21, 1694 Father strict authoritarian—lawyer Knew Cardinal Richelieu and Duke of Sully At 10 sent to a Jesuit school to study law Left school at 16-intent on spending his life as a writer Spent time as a diplomat at The Hague Wrote poetry, banished from Paris, imprisoned for a poem critical of Louis XV Wrote for over 60 years of time; filling over 70 large volumes Defender of freedom “I do not agree with a word you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Defended the rights of men to write and say what they wished Was intolerant in his criticism of his enemies, however Believed in rule by reason—not a democrat; wanted rule by an enlightened despot Allowed freedom of speech and other basic freedoms Did what needed to be done Popular with the masses Frederick the Great of Prussia Example of this type of ruler Voltaire desired freedom for the enlightened, not for the rest of humanity Had little interest in the common man Voltaire major intellectual influence Writing influenced an entire generation of French Revolutionaries During later part of his life carried on a long correspondence with Rousseau Differed on many points His influence is seen in much of Rousseau’s work Saw himself as a critic—many see him as more destructive than constructive Saw rampant irrationality—called for specific reforms over grandiose schemes—more realistic Voltaire sought religious freedom as well as other basic rights Unlike Rousseau who wanted to end all religion; Voltaire realized that “common men” were not ready for such changes Instead he called for freedom—but only for those who knew how to handle in—not for all Believed in education; agreed with Locke’s idea of the tabula rasa Faulty education was major problem Better education would solve most of the difficulties facing us Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz His philosophy of optimism serves as the inspiration for the novel. Also, Leibniz was a mathematician most known as the co-founder of calculus with Newton. Highly critical of Leibniz’s philosophy of optimism Candide is full of political and philosophical satire of the many controversies during the 1750s Readers will see the idea that we “live in the best of all possible worlds,” and apparent folly, misery and strife are actually harbingers of a greater good we cannot perceive, is hogwash. Voltaire’s satire contrasts ironically tragedy and comedy by using actual events which occurred during this time period. Voltaire’s criticism wasn’t directly aimed at Pope. Pope also had an optimistic principle that “all is right.” Leibniz’s states “this is the best of all possible worlds.” Some critics feel Voltaire spared Pope out of respect. A later work by Voltaire, Poème, could be a response to Pope’s work. Voltaire was also commenting on cultural relativism Michel de Montaigne’s On Cannibals Essay that argued that European culture was no closer to God or morally “right” Shakespeare also used this concept in his play The Tempest Voltaire shows other cultures in comparison to European society as his main character Candide has a series of misadventures Optimism Human condition: what is the best way to approach life? Candide is brought up on the philosophy of optimism Will ultimately reject this at the end of novel Free Will Distinction between man and animals Societies need to form around concept of working together for a common good Evil Is evil inherent to humans or a matter of perspective? Debate between Candide the optimist and Martin the pessimist reflects this. Political and Religious Oppression Religious leaders who commit acts of immorality and depravity Mistreatment of citizens, slaves, women by members of authority Powerful institutions which only harm citizens instead of protecting them Power of Lust Exploitation of women and workers due to lust for money. Acts of war and cruelty in the new world due to lust for money. Lust for power and position in society lead characters to ignore common sense and basic kindness. Candide Name derived from the Latin word, candidus, means white White symbolizes innocence Also means candid—he looks at the world and tells us exactly what he sees Pangloss Absent throughout most of the book, but influence is seen through Candide. Word comes from Greek pan and glossa means all languages—another way of saying “windbag” Character modeled after Leibniz, Pope, and other optimistic thinkers of the period Martin Candide’s companion through book Opposite of Candide, thinks all is for the worst In the end, Candide will reject both Pangloss & Martin Cacambo Candide’s guide in the new world Name resembles cacao Name implies a half-breed origin, he is a wily American half-breed Foil for the Baron-perfect lineage, but morally impure Cacambo’s character is pure Name chosen for sound and its meaning Alliterative effect of Candide, Cunègonde, Cacambo Name of many medieval queens Represents chivalric love and hard-headed realism Several views/perspectives of Cunègonde Candide sees her as pure and virtuous We see a beautiful, shrewd wench At end she will be an ugly dishwasher for Prince of Transylvania—arms red and rough from hard work One of the few dynamic characters Innocent young girl in beginning Wise woman of the world at end At first she is coy with Candide, at end demands he marry her Old Woman Classic type in French lit Serves 1st as Cunègonde maid; Cunègonde will become her double by end of book Abigail serves this way for Cacambo Voltaire uses her voice to add his reflections Pacquette Serving-girl turned prostitute Name means “daisy” Her misfortunes parallel her mistress Cunègonde Pococurante Name means “caring little” Jaded man of the world which Candide would have become if he had no difficulties Martin believes there is pleasure in not being pleased Pococurante shows us that even the best is for the worst Brother Giroflée Name means “wallflower” Symbolizes stupidity of primogeniture and the nature of vocations in the church Name of Barony chosen for sound Represents the pomposity and pettiness of small baronies in that part of Europe Vain, blustering tyrant probably just like his father Son is warrior-saint of the Jesuits Kills with abandon, no vocation, enjoys life in Paraguay Candide discovers him & pays for his freedom Down on his luck, homosexual Galley slave yet refuses to allow Candide to marry his sister, Cunègonde who is of noble birth Represents the narrow-minded views of European nobility which will lead to destruction of the class Written as an allegory of the human condition Characters are not meant to be identified with but to stand for a particular ideal or characteristic Each character acts as a symbol to further the satire Pangloss symbolizes folly of blind optimism and excessive speculation. Lisbon earthquake of 1755 represents devastating natural events for which no rational explanation can be found. An important symbol in novel Eviction from the castle garden could be seen as eviction of man from Garden of Eden El Dorado could represent a false Garden of Eden At end of novel Candide and Cunègonde find pleasure in working their own land/garden. Many critics see the garden however as Voltaire’s support for Diderot’s Encyclopedia Could be considered a garden of knowledge http://librivox.org/candide-by-voltaire/ http://www.paperstarter.com/candide.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwMlWy