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challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Poor Candide, so naive, tried to hang on to the philosophy of his teacher but in the end, he came to his own philosophy with the help of a simple old man.
"...but let us cultivate our garden."
The book is mostly a book of pure sarcasm up to that point.
The old woman asks is it better to have gone through all these horrors or to have nothing to do. I think a discussion could be made on that, similarly to a quote I once heard about not having any problems being a problem.
A quick read with pretty much anything that could have will happen and how some people handle it and which still hold on to their old ideas. [Eye roll] The Baron still against Candide in the end.
"...but let us cultivate our garden."
The book is mostly a book of pure sarcasm up to that point.
The old woman asks is it better to have gone through all these horrors or to have nothing to do. I think a discussion could be made on that, similarly to a quote I once heard about not having any problems being a problem.
A quick read with pretty much anything that could have will happen and how some people handle it and which still hold on to their old ideas. [Eye roll] The Baron still against Candide in the end.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Violence, War
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Be advised: This is not casual reading.
When I first heard about Candide, it was described as a fast-paced satirical romp, a story of one man stumbling from folly to folly. What I wasn’t told, however, was that these so-called follies include some of the most horrific acts humans can inflict on one another: sexual assault, torture, slavery, cannibalism - all repeated relentlessly from beginning to end, with little reprieve. It may be short and quick to read, but I wouldn’t call it enjoyable.
To be fair, it’s impossible to critique Candide responsibly without placing it in its historical and philosophical context. But many readers - myself included - will likely approach this as a standalone work, not as part of a course or specialized study. A writer and philosopher of the Enlightenment period, Voltaire was an advocate for civil liberties and criticized intolerance and religion through satire. Candide was written as a direct satire of the optimistic worldview promoted by German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Leibniz was a champion of Theodicy, which argued that because this world was created by a perfect God, it must be the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire found this belief dangerously naive and willfully ignorant of real human suffering. Candide was his rebuttal.
In that light, the book’s parade of suffering serves a purpose: to dismantle the idea that everything happens for a reason. Cruelty, injustice, and misfortune follow Candide everywhere, yet he clings to Leibnizian optimism despite it all. Philosophically, this was a sharp, biting satire of its time. But narratively, it’s exhausting.
Many of the worst horrors presented don’t happen to Candide himself, but to those around him - especially women. Cunegonde, the object of Candide’s obsessive love, and her companion, simply called “The Old Woman,” endure repeated violence, forced servitude, and degradation at the hands of almost every man they meet. Yet because of the satirical tone and Voltaire’s aim to shock rather than humanize, their suffering is often brushed aside or played for absurdity. Add to this the highly racialized language and characterizations throughout, and the experience becomes harder to stomach for a modern reader. To offer a modern equivalent: it reads like one long "Aristocrats" joke.
There’s no doubt Candide holds historical and intellectual significance. But as a work to pick up for pleasure or even casual insight, I can’t recommend it. Its value lies in philosophical context - and that’s exactly where it should stay.
When I first heard about Candide, it was described as a fast-paced satirical romp, a story of one man stumbling from folly to folly. What I wasn’t told, however, was that these so-called follies include some of the most horrific acts humans can inflict on one another: sexual assault, torture, slavery, cannibalism - all repeated relentlessly from beginning to end, with little reprieve. It may be short and quick to read, but I wouldn’t call it enjoyable.
To be fair, it’s impossible to critique Candide responsibly without placing it in its historical and philosophical context. But many readers - myself included - will likely approach this as a standalone work, not as part of a course or specialized study. A writer and philosopher of the Enlightenment period, Voltaire was an advocate for civil liberties and criticized intolerance and religion through satire. Candide was written as a direct satire of the optimistic worldview promoted by German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Leibniz was a champion of Theodicy, which argued that because this world was created by a perfect God, it must be the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire found this belief dangerously naive and willfully ignorant of real human suffering. Candide was his rebuttal.
In that light, the book’s parade of suffering serves a purpose: to dismantle the idea that everything happens for a reason. Cruelty, injustice, and misfortune follow Candide everywhere, yet he clings to Leibnizian optimism despite it all. Philosophically, this was a sharp, biting satire of its time. But narratively, it’s exhausting.
Many of the worst horrors presented don’t happen to Candide himself, but to those around him - especially women. Cunegonde, the object of Candide’s obsessive love, and her companion, simply called “The Old Woman,” endure repeated violence, forced servitude, and degradation at the hands of almost every man they meet. Yet because of the satirical tone and Voltaire’s aim to shock rather than humanize, their suffering is often brushed aside or played for absurdity. Add to this the highly racialized language and characterizations throughout, and the experience becomes harder to stomach for a modern reader. To offer a modern equivalent: it reads like one long "Aristocrats" joke.
There’s no doubt Candide holds historical and intellectual significance. But as a work to pick up for pleasure or even casual insight, I can’t recommend it. Its value lies in philosophical context - and that’s exactly where it should stay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Cannibalism, War
Moderate: Genocide, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Antisemitism
Minor: Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry
The content listed is often described briefly, but repeated frequently throughout the text.
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read about Candide from Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind, wherein the only book that has made one of the characters laugh out loud is Candide. I've not read a lot of comedy, but this was seriously hilarious. Voltaire frames optimism as what we would now term as "toxic positivity", but he does so with such a grandiose scale it feels absurd. Matter of fact, if I wanted an introduction to absurdism I would choose to read this instead of The Stranger. Voltaire's SO FUNNY. Intro pa nga lang. He writes with such a deadpan wit that doesn't become just corny sarcasm and it was so enjoyable to read. It reminds me of another favorite, Cyrano de Bergerac, except less tender and far more crass. I'll be rereading this multiple times across my life.
In Candide, the eponymous character falls in love, is kicked out of the castle in which he resides, becomes a beggar, a soldier, a war hero, loses his love, finds his love (though now ugly) again and realizes that the worst of all his fates was having to live a quiet, boring, and domestic life. What is happiness, and what is its price? Why is adversity sweeter in retrospect? So fantastic.
In Candide, the eponymous character falls in love, is kicked out of the castle in which he resides, becomes a beggar, a soldier, a war hero, loses his love, finds his love (though now ugly) again and realizes that the worst of all his fates was having to live a quiet, boring, and domestic life. What is happiness, and what is its price? Why is adversity sweeter in retrospect? So fantastic.