His Lordship’s country seat was the most beautiful of mansions and her ladyship the best of all possible ladyships. Legs were clearly intended for breeches, and we wear them. Observe: our noses were made to carry spectacles, so we have spectacles.

In the words of Candide: ‘Pangloss proved that there is no effect without a cause, that things cannot be other than they are, for since everything was made for the best purpose, it follows that everything is made for the best purpose. As was custom then, the Baron’s son is educated at home by a famed tutor, Pangloss, who taught “metphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigology!” Pangloss showed that whatever happened was meant to happen, was the natural state, all is for the best, thus, optimistic we should be. The story is that of the eponymous hero, a young lad living a sheltered life in the country seat of Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh, in the kingdom of Westphalia. Today, Candide has become a mainstay of French literature and an essential element of the Western canon. Soon after its publication, the book was banned for alleged blasphemy.

Under a thin veil of satire, it carries a damning social critique, and, considering the times, throws an intellectual challenge amounting to political sedition. He is a man always reasonable, is feted for its social commentary, humanity and satire.Ĭandide carries a damning social critiqueĬandide, Voltaire’s celebrated novella, is considered by many to be his ‘magnum opus’. Napoleon Bonaparte commented that till he was 16 he would have fought for Rousseau against the friends of Voltaire, today it is the opposite… the more I read Voltaire, the more I love him. Even his private letters (over 20,000 are on record) are studied for their brilliance of thought as well as the vitality of the language. The Voltaire approach to writing of history brought new perspectives to historiography. Yet, his relevance continues undiminished the courage, the intelligence, and the vivacity of his writings, thrill and dazzle to this day.Īn impressively versatile writer, Voltaire did not restrict himself to one genera, going from history writing to poetry, novels to pamphlets (mainly polemical), prose to romances. Voltaire died in 1778, before the French revolution occurred. Not only did the ideas of the French revolution pave the way to many of the rights and freedoms enjoyed by the generations that followed, but fundamentally changed the way we view ourselves in the universe we inhabit. Politically, socially and intellectually, after 1789, the world would never be the same.

Voltaire (Francois-Marie Arouet-1694- 1778) was one of the key writers to have inspired the ideals of the French revolution, that history- changing explosion in 18 Century Europe.

“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities” – Voltaire.

Candide and optimism