Book Review: Candide (Voltaire)
Have I read this before: Yes! First time was in Literature of Western Civilization, the class that first got me interested in philosophy. I’ve read it many times since, but it’s been awhile since I last read it.
Review: *dramatic sigh* THIS FREAKING LITTLE NOVELLA. I’m so conflicted. On the one hand, it’s probably the best bit of satire I’ve ever read (and is hilarious and tragic and disturbing all at the same time). On the other hand, one of the major things being parodied is Leibniz’ optimism and Leibniz himself—you can’t tell me there aren’t personal jabs in there, ‘CAUSE THERE ARE! [see the last line of chapter 28], and that makes me sad. Especially since his philosophy is definitely oversimplified and entirely not what he meant “the best of all possible worlds” to be.
But Voltaire is Voltaire, so what can we do?
Favorite part: It’s hard to pick one since it’s so short and everything really flows together. There are some great lines, though:
- Candide, trembling like a philosopher, hid himself as best he could during this heroic carnage.
- Candide said to himself, “If this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others like?”
- “What’s optimism?” asked Cacambo.
“Alas,” said Candide, “it’s a mania for insisting that everything is all right when everything is going wrong.”
Claudia’s Big Blog o’ Books
So I’ve seen about seven of my Facebook friends post something along the lines of “what book should I read next?” as their little status update thingy. Even though maybe two people from Facebook check out this blog on a semi-regular basis, I’m posting here my top 10 favorite/most highly recommended books with little itty bitty one-sentence synopses. I know I’ve done this a couple times before, but the list keeps changing ever-so-slightly and hell, it’s always good to have book recommendations close at hand, right?
Right.
ONWARDS!
10. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
One-sentence synopsis: Vladimir and Estragon wait…and wait…and wait…
9. Watership Down by Richard Adams
One-sentence synopsis: a colony of rabbits set out in search of a new warren and face many perils on their journey.
8. On The Beach by Nevil Shute
One-sentence synopsis: In a post-WWIII world, we get a glimpse into the slow suffering of those living in Australia as they wait for the atmospheric winds to bring the nuclear fallout down from the north.
7. The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Clark
One-sentence synopsis: A group of justice-seeking townspeople (and two drifters) set out to find and punish three men presumed to be cattle rustlers and murderers.
6. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
One-sentence synopsis: Wealthy (and badass) Londoner Phileas Fogg wagers that he can travel around the world in 80 days.
5. Watchmen by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons
One-sentence synopsis: In this graphic novel, an ex-super hero is murdered, his fellow ex-super heroes speculate about his death, and we are privy to an intricate tale of their past and present lives in an alternate 1980s time.
4. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
One-sentence synopsis: through a confessional outpouring, we learn of lit professor Humbert Humbert’s romantic obsession with 12-year-old Lolita.
3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
One-sentence synopsis: Nick Carraway becomes a neighbor to the wealthy, party-happy, mysterious Jay Gatsby and learns more about him and those he associates with through a series of social and private encounters.
2. Candide by Voltaire
One-sentence synopsis: A sheltered young man, influenced by his teacher, is convinced he lives in the best of all possible worlds (LEINBIZ REFERENCE ZOMG), even as he experiences all sorts of exciting disasters.
1. The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
One-sentence synopsis: US Navy Ensign Willie Keith finds himself on a WWII US minesweeper ship that has happened to fall under the command of an insane captain.
Now, don’t those sound good? Pick one, dear blog-follower, and read!
OH GOD A TWILIGHT BLOG
Random blog about Twilight ‘cause I heard some people talking about it at the rec center.
I admit that I want to read at least the first book (or at most the first book…from what I’ve heard I’d probably shoot myself if I had to read more than one of them), mainly because it’s such an anti-intellectual dumping ground of stupidity, stalking, dependency, and just overall “what the fuck is this?” that reading it would probably be pretty hilarious.
I watched the first movie on Netflix last summer to see what exactly everyone was adoring/hating. I couldn’t catch if there was a plot or not ‘cause it moved at the pace of a semi-paralyzed snail trying to crawl through molasses, so by the time Edward had taken off his shirt and sparkled like a glitter factory I was half asleep. The only “action” came in like the last fifteen minutes, I’m not even kidding. The rest played out like an instructional video of how to properly stalk in teenage relationships.
I’d like to know what makes people go freak-crazy over Twilight. I remember discussing it briefly at one of our little grad school get-togethers and a few of the ladies were like “oh my god, are we talking about Edward?! HE’S SO FREAKING HAWT!” and it was at that time that I realized that Twilight was essentially like some sort of literary plague.
And that’s pretty freaking depressing. What happened to the desire to read good literature? How is Candide, which is FORTY THOUSAND TIMES AS EXCITING as an emo vampire and his dull girlfriend, not going viral?
Bah.
Today’s song: Cobrastyle by Robyn
Top 10 influential books
Hello ladies and gentlemen. There’s this note that’s been going around on Facebook where people list the top 10 books that have influenced them the most, or will stay with them the most. I decided that instead of posting this on Facebook (which I’m beginning to hate more and more), I’m putting it here.
The books I chose I chose because of their impact on me—be that from their emotional impact, their intellectual impact, the story itself, or the style of the writing. I explain in each case. It was hard to choose books that influenced me rather than choosing my favorite books, but I think I did this as unbiased as possible. Plus, the two overlap quite a bit.
Ranked from most influential to…well, 10th most influential, I guess. Haha.
1. Watchmen – Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
This might be first because it’s the one I’ve read most recently, but it’s also first because it’s freaking awesome. The story’s intense, it’s very intellectual, and the art is superb. Read it!
2. The Monadology – Gottfried Leibniz
No, I’m not just putting this on here because Leibniz is a smoldering sex pot. Despite the “out-there” factor that is so high with the Monadology, the general idea of determinism that he expresses throughout it (and a lot of his other stuff) actually kind of lines up with how I see things.
3. Candide – Voltaire
I FREAKING ADORE Voltaire. This book is very funny if you know what it’s making fun of (hint: pretty much everything). And even though Voltaire makes fun of Leibniz, I still love this book.
4. The Caine Mutiny – Herman Wouk
YAY! This is my favorite book of all time, but it’s also on here because the story is AMAZING. Wouk is very good at building tension (just wait until you get to the actual mutiny; good luck putting the book down). It’s also freaking hilarious in parts.
5. The Chosen – Chaim Potok
I can’t remember when it was I read this, actually—I only remember the plot and the characters that have stuck with me since. This was one of two books that left me crying at the end. Very emotionally impactful. It’s about two Jewish boys, one of which does not want to follow in his father’s footsteps, if you want to know the very summarized plot.
6. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Beautiful, beautiful writing style. I love Fitzgerald’s way of creating a story, and I love Gatsby.
7. On the Beach – Nevil Shute
The premise of this book is very intriguing: it examines a post nuclear war world from Australia’s point of view as the country sits and waits for all of the fallout from the northern hemisphere to drift through the atmosphere down to them. That’s really all you need to know.
8. Crime and Punishment – Feodor Dostoyevsky
Hooray for deeply psychological books!
9. An American Tragedy – Theodore Dreiser
This is a long book and seems kind of boring at the beginning, but once the “tragedy” happens, it really picks up. You get into Clyde’s head and feel his desperation.
10. Age of Reason – Jean Paul Sartre
I read this awhile ago and for some reason I still really like it. Probably because it’s existential.
Rousseau, you sneaky, sneaky man!
Jean-Jacques! You surprise me! Have you dared to sneak a jab at my beloved Voltaire in your Confessions?
Ah, I do say it may be so—in reading your book today for the second time I came across within the first fifteen pages a phrase I’d missed the first time—the phrase, “…we ceased to cultivate our little gardens…”
A trifle, my good readers say? Ah! But if you look at the last line in Voltaire’s Candide you will see the (rather famous) phrase, “‘that is well said,’ replied Candide, ‘but we must cultivate our garden,'” expressing Voltaire’s ideas that to have a good life, one must work without philosophizing too greatly.
Considering Rousseau finished his Confessions in 1770 and Voltaire’s Candide was completed in 1762 (the latest date I could find), and taking into consideration the strained relationship between the two men that is evident in their correspondences between each other, this arises suspicion in me as to whether or not this was a deliberate yet subtle jab at Voltaire’s Candide.
Is this a glossed-over quip? Or am I just blathering on in my usual manner?
Who’s to say?
Though I vote on the latter.
Paleontology? Ha! Not a chance!
I have this suspicion that my blogs have been sucky recently. Is it just me, or is it true?
Today’s full of random crap. Bear with.
~Still waiting for Voltaire pins. Excitement is building.
~I also found Candide on audiobook. Win.
~Where I wish to be employed in 10-15 years.
~My Flash god.
~How in the world did my map views on my profile jump to a staggering 1,733?
~Make me a Sartre doll and I shall give you $10.
~Wouldn’t it be awesome if I could make a Podcast of my blogs? Holy crap.
~You know what would be freaking awesome? We all dress in togas and such and go down to those big steps by the old arboretum and have a philosophy party.
Okay, enough of this. You all tell me what kinds of blogs you like, since lately I’m not sure what you all prefer. Do you like my random lists? Do you like me going over my day in an interesting fashion? Do you like my more contemplative (read: “thoughtful,” not depressing) blogs? What about the surveys, can you even stand those?
I’m making an effort to keep you people happy. Feedback! Now! *whip crack*
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