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Candide, or Optimism
Candide, or Optimism | Francois Voltaire
117 posts | 351 read | 4 reading | 76 to read
Brought up in the household of a powerful Baron, Candide is an open-minded young man, whose tutor, Pangloss, has instilled in him the belief that 'all is for the best'. But when his love for the Baron's rosy-cheeked daughter is discovered, Candide is cast out to make his own way in the world. And so he and his various companions begin a breathless tour of Europe, South America and Asia, as an outrageous series of disasters befall them - earthquakes, syphilis, a brush with the Inquisition, murder - sorely testing the young hero's optimism.
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review
trifleneurotic
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Pickpick

Although it helps to know at least a little of the historical & philosophical context of Voltaire's slim work, it still drives its point home pretty well. We will never have all the answers that we seek. So is the world we live in, with all its good & suffusive evil still the best of all possible worlds? Or is it the worst due to the free will of humanity succumbing to boredom, vice, & need?

Who cares? You have a garden to cultivate. Get to it.

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trifleneurotic
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"Let us work without theorizing...'tis the only way to make life endurable."

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trifleneurotic
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Is it misguided or wrongheaded to think that - to some degree - the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants could conceivably have been somewhat inspired by this book's protagonist, Candide?

1 like1 stack add
review
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm
Candide | Voltaire
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Mehso-so

3 ⭐️s
I love a bit of satire. Many parts of this book felt like a Monty Python skit or a Mel Brooks film. I‘ve never been able to get behind the whole “everything is as it should be” way of thinking, and Voltaire does a really great job of skewering that philosophy in this very short read. The “tend your own garden” line at the end really stuck with me. I think it‘s very important advice, especially in this time of social media oversaturation.

28 likes1 comment
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Tkimsal
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New Year‘s Eve Day vibes.

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Awk_Word_Smith
Candide | Voltaire
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I always liked Voltaire for some reason…

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groofay
Candide | Voltaire
Pickpick

I suspect there's something to be said about a book that hasn't lost any of its relevance for over 250 years. It's been probably 15-ish years since I first read Candide, and it's been my yardstick for every satirical novel I've read since. It has a time and a place, but it transcends both somehow, and you don't need to know the history around it to recognize the ideas it viciously assaults--though knowing the history makes it that much more fun.

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BekaReid
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Pickpick

This satire was full of wit and a great distraction. (And the cover/flap art on this Penguin Classics edition is fantastic.)

RaeLovesToRead Looks like it's illustrated by Chris Ware? 2y
BekaReid @RaeLovesToRead yes! It was illustrated by Chris Ware 2y
RaeLovesToRead I love his work but it tends to be very depressing 🌧 2y
16 likes3 comments
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BekaReid
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Snagging some outdoor reading time before the storm rolls in

8 likes1 stack add
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104_goodbuddyy
Candide | Voltaire
Pickpick

This novel was hard to put down. I was hooked with the adventures of Candide and his hopes of being with Cunegonde. This satire was witty and comical in so many places, yet serious and thought-provoking in others. It really played on the ideas of blind optimism and philosophy. It was definitely a good read.

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BekaReid
Candide | Voltaire
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Purchased this book solely based on the cover. Now it's waiting room reading

StaceGhost I had this edition and loved it 2y
11 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Andrea313
Candide | Voltaire
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Settling in with this lovely new-to-me copy of Candide- a Christmas gift from my husband who knows I love a good leather-bound classic! #CurrentlyReading

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Mtnwitch2012
Candide | Voltaire
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Getting ready to go back in time a notch.

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GinaKButler
Candide | Voltaire
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Starting this today as part of my Catching Up On The Classics Reading Challenge. #bookspinbingo

11 likes1 stack add
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martellax
Candide | Voltaire
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Pickpick

Candide lives a very unfortunate life which, admittedly bad as it sounds, is a very interesting one. Despite all the hardships he befalls i couldn‘t help myself from reading on. When his companions are tortured, murdered and contract STD‘s (things that indeed are not ideal) you can‘t help but wonder when do the hardships for this character stop? And essentially they just don‘t.

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Ast_Arslan
Candide | Voltaire
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Did anyone notice that I like #readathon?
So I'm going to join the #AnyWayYouReadathon by @kimmypete1 @Eggbeater @MidnightBookGirl together with the #awesomeAugust by @Andrew65

I do not know my goals for this one yet, I will figure them out 😂

Eggbeater Great! Thanks for joining! 3y
Ast_Arslan @Eggbeater you're welcome, it's a great challenge 😉 3y
Andrew65 Many of us are Readathonaholics! 🙋🏻‍♂️ 3y
See All 7 Comments
Ast_Arslan @Andrew65 😂🙋‍♀️ 3y
MidnightBookGirl Love having you on board! Readathons are addictive! 3y
Ast_Arslan @MidnightBookGirl you're so right 🤩 3y
kimmypete1 Thanks for joining! 3y
16 likes7 comments
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Ast_Arslan
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I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it. Some will be old, some will be new - don't judge me, I have a lot of books.

Day 107th

Join the fun if you want!

#tbrpile

17 likes1 stack add
review
shortsarahrose
Candide | Voltaire
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Mehso-so

I see why it‘s a classic and once I got into the rhythm of the novel, it was even somewhat fun. I do feel like I would have gotten more out of it if I knew more about Volataire‘s time/culture. Glad I can finally say I read it, but mostly I‘m just like 🤷🏻‍♀️

13 likes1 stack add
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shortsarahrose
Candide | Voltaire
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“This philosopher was an honest man; but he had been robbed by his wife, beaten by his son, and abandoned by his daughter who got a Portuguese to run away with her. He had just been deprived of a small employment, on which he subsisted; and he was persecuted by the preachers of Surinam, who took him for a Socinian.”

quote
shortsarahrose
Candide | Voltaire
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“That is why the present is one of the right moments to republish ‘Candide.‘ I hope it will inspire younger men and women, the only ones who can be inspired, to have a try at Theodore, or Militarism; Jane, or Pacifism; at So-and-So, the Pragmatist or the Freudian. And I hope, too, that they will without trying hold their pens with an eighteenth century lightness, not inappropriate to a philosophic tale.”

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Gina
Candide | Voltaire
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I am having breakfast with Voltaire!

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GoneFishing
Candide | Voltaire

I should like to know which is worse: to be ravished a hundred times by pirates, and have a buttock cut off, and run the gauntlet of the Bulgarians, and be flogged and hanged in an auto-da-fe, and be dissected, and have to row in a galley -- in short, to undergo all the miseries we have each of us suffered -- or simply to sit here and do nothing?'
That is a hard question,' said Candide.

phantomx Candide! It has been such a long time since I read this book. Still cracks me up. 4y
30 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
coxoxoco
Candide, or Optimism | Francois Voltaire
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Pickpick

Re reas this, one of my all time faves.

"I should like to know which is worse: to be raped a hundred times by pirates, and have a buttock cut off, and run the gauntlet of the Bulgarians, and be flogged and hanged in an auto-da-fe, and be dissected, and have to row in a galley -- in short, to undergo all the miseries we have each of us suffered -- or simply to sit here and do nothing?'
That is a hard question,' said Candide."

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Lcsmcat
Candide | Voltaire
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I have a fourth edition around here somewhere that‘s more colorful, but I couldn‘t find it. #samebookdifferentcolor #biblioMAYnia @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

OriginalCyn620 📚👍🏻📚 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Pretty ❤️❤️ 5y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
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ElleMNOpe
Candide | Voltaire
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Mehso-so

I gave this a bit of leeway because it is a classic. The writing is very succinct & straightforward, making the story quite accessible. It is humorous & filled with a lot of wit in addition to the satire, but is ridiculously over the top. Thankfully, it is very short, leading to a quick, easy read. It is quick moving & filled with action. Worth appreciating for its ability to withstand the test of time.

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sprainedbrain
Candide | Voltaire
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Mehso-so

I was never a big fan of satire or philosophy back in the days of required reading... turns out I‘m still not.

Outrageous and funny in parts, but mainly I was just glad it was short.

🥱

#1001books

⭐️⭐️⭐️

BekahB I think I need to give this a second try. I read this for a class in college and I spent the next week ranting to friends and family about how strange it was and that there were so many other, better books that we could have read instead. I don‘t think I can even give it a fair rating. 😂 5y
IMASLOWREADER omg i had to read it in college & it was agonizing lmao 5y
BarbaraBB I was underwhelmed too! 5y
See All 7 Comments
sprainedbrain I forgot to note that this was my #France book for #ReadingEurope2020. 😬 @BarbaraBB @Librarybelle 5y
sprainedbrain @BekahB @IMASLOWREADER I‘m not sure how I got through high school and college without being forced to read this... 😂 5y
Librarybelle Totally fine! It works perfectly for France 5y
meagankc21 I read this one in high school and remember loving it. I wonder if I'd still feel the same way now if I reread it 5y
106 likes1 stack add7 comments
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MatchlessMarie
Candide | Voltaire
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review
thebluestocking
Candide | Voltaire
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Mehso-so

I‘m not sure what I expected from this when I selected it on #serialreader but it wasn‘t satire. This was a short adventure satire about philosophy and the human condition. It‘s very readable for being published three hundred years ago. But I think I needed more context and more character development. An interesting read though; I think I would have enjoyed parsing it in a college class.

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled All I remember is that someone‘s butt cheek gets eaten. Is that right? Am I misremembering something? 😧 5y
thebluestocking @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled That‘s totally right. By monkeys. 🤷‍♀️ 5y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Of course. 🤭🤣 5y
56 likes3 comments
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CoffeeNBooks
Candide | Voltaire
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I read this a very long time ago in high school, so I decided to reread it for my goal of #ReadingClassicsIn2019. Written by Voltaire, a French philosopher of The Age of Enlightenment, Candide is based on Voltaire's beliefs in reason and freedom of thought.

Lcsmcat One of my favorites! 5y
Dcueto Love this one!! 5y
72 likes1 stack add2 comments
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MarieMine
Candide | Voltaire
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“What is optimism?” asked Cacambo “Lord help me,” said Candide, “it‘s the madness of insisting that everything is good when it‘s bad.”

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M.V
Candide | Voltaire
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Pickpick

I feel french.

41 likes1 comment
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okthislooksbad
Candide | Voltaire
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Starting #24in48 a bit late (I like sleeping, sue me!) with my Serial Reader-title. I need all the coffee to deal with this rambly, gory mess before 10am ☕😂

Leniverse I like sleeping too. Just getting up now at nine. I mean, we need to be rested to stay focused on the reading, right? 5y
okthislooksbad @Leniverse It is the only way. Already, we are better off than the poor, less well-rested souls. I think. 😂 5y
27 likes2 comments
review
tsundoker
Candide | Voltaire
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Pickpick

"If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others?"

Wildly entertaining. Candide's awful adventures are explored in a very funny way.

CoffeeNBooks Welcome to Litsy! 📚 I haven't read this since high school, so it's on my TBR stack to reread this year. 5y
12 likes1 comment
review
Kristy_K
Candide | Voltaire
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Mehso-so

This was so over the top with calamities and dramatics. Voltaire shines a light on human nature and all its fallacies in this satire. At first it was enjoyable and funny but near the end I grew annoyed.

⭐️⭐️

#classic #LetterV #LitsyAtoZ

44 likes1 stack add
review
Emilymdxn
Candide | Voltaire
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Mehso-so

Not personally a fan but I don‘t want to hold it against the book that I just don‘t really like the 18th century. I got that it was satire, I got that it was philosophical, and I suppose that should have made it feel less silly but it didn‘t really for me. The racist, anti-Semitic and sexist was very jarring and while obviously I understand it‘s from 300 years ago that doesn‘t mean I had a good time reading it. Nice to have ticked off a #1001books

SW-T Reading older books with a modern eye can make you cringe. 6y
andrew61 I read it last year for my classics a-z and listened to an episode of radio 4's 'in our time ' which really enhanced my interest in the story - it's available on itunes and bbc archive if you are interested. 6y
67 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Emilymdxn
Candide | Voltaire
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Looking through my kindle on the train for something to read and I picked this on a total whim, it‘s been sitting on my kindle for years and wasn‘t very high up my tbr but I picked it and looks like I‘m reading it now! One for #1001books and I‘m going to Paris for Easter weekend so it‘s very fitting.

I‘m heartbroken by the news about notre dame. I can‘t believe this could happen to such a beautiful symbolic building 9 centuries old

tournevis They are already planning abatement and fast tracking reconstruction. The fire isn't even out yet. I'm reassured. 6y
Chrissyreadit I agree that was sad news! 6y
63 likes2 comments
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Meaw_catlady
Candide | Voltaire
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Thought I would share a pic of my goodwill find of the month! A terrarium that plays Love Me Tender that I filled with crystals and an air plant I got from my library. We are doing an air plant program for Earth day and this guy was too big for the program. Also look at the awesome postcard I receive #JB from @SkeletonKey I love it! Also shown a piece of clear quartz and a piece of smoky quartz I collected.

tammysue So lovely 💜 6y
Leftcoastzen That is so very cool! Great find and a beautiful way to use it. 6y
SkeletonKey So glad it arrived! 6y
See All 6 Comments
Meaw_catlady @SkeletonKey thank you so much it brightened my day! And I love the quotes 🤗 6y
SkeletonKey @Meaw_catlady 💜💜💜 you‘re welcome 6y
27 likes6 comments
review
Malisa
Candide | Voltaire
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Pickpick

You know those really bad fanfics where everyone dies and comes back to life and everything bad that could happen does happen yet the main character is completely fine? This is like that.

tournevis Yes! It is! Yes! 😆 6y
39 likes1 comment
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arielmonsen
Candide | Voltaire
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teacher lent copy. we swap books sometimes

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BestDogDad
Candide | Voltaire
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Five books in January, about my average. Some goodness in there and some pain. #januarywrapup

Erofan 👏 6y
13 likes1 comment
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Daisey
Candide | Voltaire
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Pickpick

I had planned to read this in print, but my current readalongs are requiring almost all of my reading time, so I downloaded the audio. I‘m so glad that I did, because this made for a great listen during my walks this weekend. I think it has the most humor of anything I‘ve read in which so many things go badly.

#audiobook #audiowalk #1001books
#Reading1001 January 2019 #TBRTakedown

CoffeeNBooks This is on my re-read list for this year- I haven't read it since high school. I should look into the audio of it! 6y
Daisey @CoffeeNBooks This version was read by Andrew Sachs. At the beginning I wasn‘t sure about his different voices, but as I listened they seemed to fit the style of the story. It also had short musical interludes between each of the chapters which I liked. 6y
JazzFeathers I have never read this. I'm not really into French literature, but now you have picked my interest. 6y
Daisey @JazzFeathers I‘m sure I missed some of the deeper meaning, but I got the gist and enjoyed the experience. It was much funnier than I expected. Plus, it‘s a fairly short read/listen. 6y
65 likes4 comments
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BestDogDad
Candide | Voltaire
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🤓

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BestDogDad
Candide | Voltaire
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Voltaire, you magnificent wordsmith! I read this in AP English in high school in the 80s. Forgot how great it was.

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Demeter2112
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My 2019 reading goal/Goodreads reading goal is 150 books. But I might bump it up later in the year.
Currently at 3/150.

TEArificbooks Great photo 6y
20 likes1 stack add1 comment
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MatchlessMarie
Candide | Voltaire
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I don't always consider a marriage proposal, but when I do, facial hair is of utmost importance 😅 #LitsyClassics #LetterV #SerialReader

80 likes1 comment
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archaeolibrarianologist
Candide | Voltaire
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