I'm not exactly sure what to say about this book except that I loved it. When I read it the first time, I was for some reason, very preoccupied with the irony in the book. So finding all my little giggle notes in my copy about all the irony was quite wonderful and probably had something to do the improved rating. Also, it occurred to me how satirical this book is. I felt the whole time I was reading like Voltaire kept pulling the book down and winking at me over the top of the pages.

I don't think there's really a moral in this story because I do think Voltaire meant everything in the book to be taken ironically. I mean, tend your own garden? That's just another impossible task, in a very long list of impossible tasks offered up to Candide by all these philosophers (who, a lot of them, have miraculously recovered, reappeared, or reincarnated). I think everything in this book is supposed to make the reader roll their eyes and laugh, not just at the book's events, but at life's.

Also, my copy includes from a brilliant artist named Sheilah Beckett some of the cheekiest line drawings I would ever hope to encounter in a classic! So, along with Dr. Pangloss's "exercises" with Paquette (who isn't even named until 100 pages later!) at the beginning of the book, my edition of this book gets a spicy rating

При беглом прочтении эта книжка кажется развлекательным анекдотом, нелепицей, поскольку главный герой проходит через ряд приключений, путешествует по всему свету, даже посетив фантастическое Эльдорадо. Однако, жанр этой книги – философский роман, являвшийся особым жанром во Франции эпохи просвещения. Философский роман « Кандид или Оптимизм» высмеивает все пороки общества, в первую очередь выспренную глупость, исторгаемую философом Панглоссом, который претерпевает всевозможные бедствия, но продолжает проповедовать оптимизм (и сегодня этот феномен жив – в виде позитивного мышления, разве нет?!), Панглоссу противопоставляется Мартен, проповедник пессимизма и черного взгляда на жизнь. Едкой сатире подвергается также колонизация мира, войны, насилие, угнетение, чванство аристократии, жадность и другие пороки. Заканчивается повествование встречей со старым турком, который делится своим рецептом счастья: надо трудиться, ибо труд прогоняет скуку, порок и нужду. Это и есть идеал для Вольтера.

I love CANDIDE. I was telling one of my children recently that it was the "Book of Mormon" of its time. (The play, of course. Not the religious text.) But it’s much smarter.

Voltaire employs the problem of evil to satirize religious/intellectual smugness more elegantly than the South Park creators could achieve in their most ambitious dreams.

And he did it first.

In only about 100 pages, Voltaire says more than your average 7 book series... Which would be great if most of what he talked about wasn't dated into irrelevance. So unless you're a French scholar, appreciating his satire seems unrealistic. Combine that with the speed at which the plot moves, and keeping up with Candide is definitely a chore. Truly enjoying his adventure seems like a privilege only possible for the super-educated.

At one time, Candide was a must-read. But, for the average person, that time probably passed a hundred years ago.