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Candide by Voltaire
Francois-Marie Arouet
THE ENLIGHTENMENT By Addler
“Enlightenment is the liberation of man from his self-caused state of minority. Minority is the incapacity of using one’s understanding without the direction of another. This state of minority is self-caused when its source lies not in a lack of understanding but in a lack of determination to use it without the assistance of another.” -Immanuel Kant, German philosopher
Europe as a whole was plagued with religious wars in the latter part of the sixteenth century, and into the early seventeenth century. After stability was reimplemented, mysticism and divine revelation were accepted as the new standards of explanation. The Age of Reason concentrated on the opposite aiming to promote philosophy as self-evident based on principles from Baruch Spinoza’s “Ethics,” which analyzed in depth the nature of “knowledge.”
The Enlightenment unofficially began with Sir Isaac Newton’s introduction of systematic methods to thinking logically. His work bred fresh minds eager to see how systems could be applied to all facets of life, particularly in government. The political systems moved away from old caste systems and serfdom, towards more representation as demanded by the populace. People tired of traditional mysticism, religion, and superstition of the Middle Ages looked to new schools of thought that encouraged open societies promoting happiness and self liberty. This in turn led to a decline in influence from absolute authorities such as the Church or the noble class. The French Enlightenment (French: Siècle des Lumières) began in the early 18th century with the death of King Luis XIV, ending in 1799 with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte in power. Although strongly rooted in France, Britain, and Germany, the Enlightenment spread throughout most of Europe to include Russia, Scandinavia, and the Americas.
Among the schools of thought, Rene Descartes promoted dualism, the idea that God (mind), and man (nature) was distinct separate entities. Baruch Spinoza introduced pantheism, which asserts that God and the universe are one and that, "God was a substance consisting of infinite attributes." This new wave of religion encouraged logic and clarity continued the push for renewed intellect. In addition, George Berkeley contributed to the focus of belief by attempting to prove the existence of a supreme being. Optimism, introduced by Gottfried Leibniz, asserted that our universe is “The best of all possible worlds,” as created by God. His philosophy was adopted rapidly as one of the three great rationales of the time, along with pantheism and dualism. The theory of optimism is famously mocked in Voltaire’s “Candide." Other prominent Enlightenment thinkers include Thomas Paine, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and David Hume, all of whom along with Voltaire constantly wrote against the Church and State.
VOLTAIRE by Jaime
Born Francois Marie Arouet November 21, 1694 in Paris, France, Voltaire was schooled at a Jesuit college in Paris called Louis-le-Grand. He left school at the age of 17 and joined a group of Parisian aristocrats. His writings made him popular in these types of circles but in 1717 the wit that made him popular in society also got him in trouble with the authorities. He was imprisoned in the Bastille for 11 months for a satire about the French government. While he was imprisoned he wrote “Oedipe” and soon after adopted his pen name Voltaire.
Later, in 1726 he insulted a powerful nobleman, Chevalier De Rohan and was given the choice of imprisonment or exile. Voltaire chose
to live in exile from 1726 to 1729 in England. While there he studied the philosophy of John Locke and the ideas of Sir Isaac Newton. He studied the Constitutional Monarchy as well as its religious tolerances and the philosophical rationalism of that time.He returned to Paris and wrote a book that praised English customs and institutions. It was taken as criticism of the French government and Voltaire was again forced to leave Paris.
He moved to the home of his friend the Marquise du Chatelet, the Chateau de Cirey near Luneville in eastern France. He studied natural science with her for several years then in 1746 he was voted into the Academie Francaise. In 1749 after the death of the Marquise du Chatelet he moved to Potsdam by invitation of Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia. Voltaire returned to France from Potsdam in 1753.
In 1759 he purchased an estate called Ferney near the French-Swiss border where he lived until a little before his death. Ferney was soon regarded as the intellectual capital of Europe and Voltaire worked continuously through his years there writing books, plays and other publications as well as many letters to his friends. He was a voice of reason and was an outspoken critic of religious intolerance and persecution.
Ferney
He had a hero’s welcome when he returned to Paris at the age of 83. Sadly the excitement of the trip was too much for Voltaire and he died in Paris. He was denied burial on church grounds due to his criticism of the church but he was buried at an abbey in Champagne. His remains were later moved to the Pantheon in Paris.
In 1814 a religious group stole Voltaire’s remains and dumped them into a garbage heap. No one noticed the body was missing for around 50 years until his sarcophagus was checked and the remains were found to be gone. His heart had been removed from the body and was already in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. His brain had also been removed but after being passed around for over 100 years that had also disappeared after an auction.
MAIN CHARACTERS by Joel, Michelle, Katie
Candide
The Latin word for Candide means “white” and follows Candide’s character highlighted by the fact that he is generally good-natured throughout the book and does not intentionally mean to harm others. After being thrown out of the castle in Westphalia, he becomes entrenched in everyday life fighting to stay alive all the while in search of Cunegonde, his love interest. Candide’s adventures really contradict his belief system which is total optimism and that “there is no effect without a cause”(according to his tutor Pangloss). Throughout his journeys Candide is faced with many oppositions to this belief and thus he begins to question optimism openly saying, “Oh Pangloss you never imagined such an abomination could exist. That’s it; in the end I have no choice but to give up your optimism” after seeing slavery by the Dutch in Surinam. In the end Candide does not rely on optimism but instead still has his new philosophy given to him by an old farmer: that one must cultivate his own garden. It seems as though if all is lost Candide can still move on but cannot formulate his own beliefs.
Cunegonde
Cunegonde’s story is very tragic but the depth of her character is very thin. Thus her impact on the story mainly as Candide’s love interest shows that Candide himself is a very one-dimensional character. At first when life was in the Westphalia castle she has a “genuine interest in the science”. But as the world began to slip from her so did her character. She was first raped by Bulgar captain, then sold as a slave to Don Issacher. The story from this point onward puts her into a dominated position usually as a slave for some other man, with Candide trying to buy her or help her escape from her captives. Her character seems to be forcasted by the old woman in the story and thus the future for Cunegonde seems very bleak. Indeed these premonitions come true and she is ugly and old at the end of the story. She does marry Candide but only out of the loyalty of Candide. She settles for ordinary by becoming a pastry chef and following Candide’s new philosophy of working hard in order to stay alive.
Pangloss
Pangloss was the tutor to the children of the Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh, teaching metaphysico-theologico-cosmology. He also taught his own philosophy: optimism. He believed that “things could not be other than they are: for everything has been made to serve a purpose, and so nothing is susceptible to improvement.” Pangloss starts out as a well-to-do character, but is punished for his intimate relations with the servant girl, Paquette, who gives him syphilis. During the process of being treated for syphilis, Pangloss loses an eye and an ear. This is the beginning of his downward spiral, from gentleman to misfit. Upon returning to Candide’s company, having tutored him as a child, Pangloss survives a shipwreck and the Lisbon earthquake. However, this is seemingly where his luck runs out. Following the earthquake, the citizens decide to hold an impromptu “auto-da-fe” to prevent further earthquakes. Pangloss is hanged in the ceremony, but miraculously survives due to rain dampening the rope. By the end of the story, Pangloss has survived syphilis, shipwreck, earthquakes, and even being hanged. He is rowing in the galley when Candide finally finds him and pays for his freedom. Pangloss is now in Candide’s debt, which is an ironic turnaround from the earlier position of Pangloss as Candide’s tutor. While Pangloss believes that the world is at it’s best and nothing can be better, he ends up a veritable misfit by the end of his travels, living off the land and severely handicapped.
The Old Woman
The old woman, who remains nameless throughout the book, is the servant to Cunegonde. She saves Candide from dying after he has been whipped at the “auto-da-fe” in Lisbon, and brings him to see his precious Cunegonde. However, she did not start out in this pitiful state. In her earlier years, the old woman had been young and very beautiful. The daughter of Pope Urban X, she was the Princess of Palestrina and engaged to a Prince. The old woman was captured by pirates, endured a massacre in Morocco, and was saved by a young man who had sung in a choir in her mother’s chapel. She survived the plague in Algeria, was sold as a slave to a merchant from Tunis, had one of her buttocks cut off and eaten by Janizaries, and survived all of that to become the servant of Cunegonde. Having survived several ordeals, she endures even longer to meet up with Candide and live with him and his companions, working the land. While she had begun as a beautiful princess, she ended up as a servant.
Martin
A Manichean from Amsterdam, Candide meets him in Bordeaux and Martin follows him until the end of his voyage. Martin is a pessimist. He has been through a lot in his life and always expects the worst in any situation. In the book he represents a rival to Pangloss, who happens to be an optimist and whose philosophy is instilled in Candide.
Cacambo
Cacambo is a manservant to Candide who sticks with him for the entire journey. He is a very honest and intelligent person. He gets Candide out of trouble numerous times and ultimately reunites him with his love Cunegonde. Cacambo is the complete opposite of Martin and Pangloss. Despite the optimism Cacambo inspires, he is not really an optimist himself. His wide experience of the world has led him to conclude that "the law of nature teaches us to kill our neighbor."
THE LISBON EARTHQUAKE by Holly, Joe, Shawn
During the 18th century, Lisbon, Portugal was one of the largest cities in Europe with a population of about 275,000 – ten percent of Portugal’s entire population. Lisbon played a critical role in world trade at the time because of the Portuguese colony in Brazil from which diamonds and gold were extracted. This trade made the city one of the biggest ports in the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, Lisbon was home to a number of historical buildings, including Catholic churches and monuments. The Lisbon earthquake occurred on November 1st, 1755 (All-Saints day). The quake lasted for about 10 minutes, with three distinct jolts. Modern-day technology has allowed for the estimation of the quake’s intensity, said to be about a 9 on the Richter Scale. While the earthquake itself caused mass destruction throughout Lisbon, the subsequent tsunami and city-wide fires also contributed to the ruin. The death toll was estimated to be between 60,000 and 100,000 in Portugal, with 15,000 deaths in Lisbon alone. The fires burned for five days after the earthquake, destroying the Royal Palace, the Opera House, and the Patriarchal.
All of Europe felt the effects of the Lisbon tragedy. On a social scale, a number of artists portrayed the earthquake and its wrath. Many “accurate” descriptions were exaggerated and fanciful. Additionally, preachers circulated pamphlets that attributed the earthquake to an act of God or as proof that God was punishing mankind. Voltaire experienced the earthquake first-hand and was greatly effected. As an article in the European Review entitled “Focus: Lisbon Earthquake: Part 2 – European Public Opinion and the Lisbon Earthquake” by Ana Cristina Araujo states, “Voltaire… alludes to the ‘sad but ancient truth, recognized by all men, that evil does exist on earth’, insisting that ‘the expression “all is well” (tout est bien), taken in its absolute sense with no hope in the future, is merely an insult to the pains of our lives,’" concerning Voltaire's opinion on the state of the world after the disaster.
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