FATHER OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

 Real name: Francois Marie Arouet  Born in 1694; published Candide in 1759; died in 1788  He studied with the Jesuits as a young man.  He loved poetry and writing, but his father wanted him to study law, not poetry.  He had an ability to easily make friends, particularly in aristocratic circles – he had a reputation for being utterly charming – this would get him in trouble.

 At the same time, he was honing his skills as a poet and satiric essay writer while neglecting his legal studies.  In Paris, he was known as a notorious “libertine” – a freethinker who rejected the status quo – his libelous poems had him sent away from Paris (this would not be the only time).

 In 1717, he was sent to the Bastille because of his writing, where he stayed for 11 months. It was after his release from the Bastille that he began to use the single name Voltaire.  While there is some speculation why he chose the name, the two most widely accepted are that it either came from his mother’s side of the family OR that it came from the term le volontaire.

 Incredibly ironic and satirical, but at times very serious  Written in 1759 by Voltaire (it took him only three days to write!)  Candide questions the goodness of the world by pointing out (and often exaggerating) the inequities of life (abuse of power, poverty, religious persecution, gender discrimination, etc.)

Parody of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s Theodicee which argues the inherent goodness of the world and humanity (because it is created by God)

Voltaire repeats some of Liebniz’s key words and phrases from the book:  “causes and effects” – Liebniz traced back a series of causes and effects in the world to the original cause of everything: God, as he argued  “sufficient reason” – Liebniz argued that everything (good or bad) in the world existed because of God, and therefore everything has sufficient reason to exist and should not be questioned

 Voltaire explores the dissonance between disaster and optimism.  Is it possible to maintain hope in the face of incredible tragedy, disaster, and worldwide suffering?  Is it foolish to stay optimistic (about humanity, about the future, about religion, etc.) in a cruel and vile world?

 Candide (Kan-DEED) comes from candidus which means “white, pure, honest” in Latin.

 Cunegonde (Koo-ni-GON-dah) is Candide’s tragic love interest

 Dr. Pangloss – comes from pan (all) and gloss (tongue); can be read as “all talk and no action”

 Starts in Germany (it was common for European countries to despise one another in the 1700s, so it’s no surprise that a French text makes fun of the Germans) then goes all over Europe, Africa, and the New World (South America)  Makes reference to the shattering earthquakes of Lima (1746) and Lisbon (1755), the Thirty Years War, and the African slave trade.