"Cliff Notes - Candide" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cliff Notes)
Candide is full of place names, most of them real, a few imaginary. In general, however, the hero, Candide travels across a landscape that is familiar, if only by reputation, to his readers. The South American locations and the setting of the conclusion in Turkey add an exotic flair to the story. So, too, does the list of place names in Africa recited by the old woman when she tells her story. This list, and others that are scattered in the narrative, serve a second purpose. They contribute, by exaggeration, to Voltaire's parody of the popular adventure travel stories of his time.
The setting of Candide varies for other reasons, too. Candide's travels serve as an indication of the great diversity of experiences that he must go through before he can lose his faith in optimism. As he travels from the Old World to the New and back, he is forced to face the universality of evil.
The location of the story also varies to suit Voltaire's satiric purpose. While the author is exposing the general corruption of humanity, he also has very specific evils he wishes to assail. He brings Candide to these places as an eyewitness to certain events--for example, the execution of the admiral in the harbor of Portsmouth, in Chapter 23.
Settings in Candide, however exotic they may be, are not always described in detail. Very often, the place name alone creates the setting. Sometimes there is a brief physical description. Voltaire seems to have little interest in "local color." When he describes something in detail--as, for example, the Jesuit's "leafy nook" in Chapter 14--he does so to make a point through the description. In this case, he wants to contrast the wealth of the Jesuits with the poverty of the Indians. Eldorado is described in greater detail than other settings in order to underscore the contrast between the real world and the desirable, fictional world--utopia--of Eldorado. This ideal "golden land" is a place of harmony and peace, of honesty and tolerance. It forms a sharp contrast with the unhappy world portrayed in the rest of the story. By describing Eldorado in such detail, Voltaire makes his ideal world more concrete for the reader.
^^^^^^^^^^CANDIDE: THEMES
1. OPTIMISM
Voltaire's satire of philosophical optimism is one of the major issues of Candide. Throughout the story, satirical references to "the best of all possible worlds" contrast with natural catastrophes and human wrongdoing. A question that has been a great source of debate is what this destruction of optimism implies. Does it imply the triumph of pessimism? Is the conclusion of Candide a pessimistic withdrawal from a corrupt world? Or is its affirmation of work a modest, but nonetheless hopeful, commitment to life and change? This idea was labeled "meliorism" by others, and its chief tenet was the belief that people can actively work to create a better world. There is much evidence in Voltaire's life and later works that he believed in "meliorism." But can such evidence be found in Candide? Much depends on your interpretation of the conclusion in Chapter 30, and what you think Voltaire means by "cultivating our garden."
2. THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
Some readers have seen the problem of evil as the central issue of Candide, more important than Voltaire's satire of excessive optimism. Evil, in its many forms, is something that Candide must constantly confront. It can take the form of a natural disaster, such as the Lisbon earthquake. More often, it is man-made: the cruelty of slavery and the Spanish Inquisition, the savagery of war, even greed and dishonesty. Candide is always questioning how and why such evils exist. A partial answer can be found in the words of the Turkish philosopher, the dervish in the last chapter. Some answers to the problem of evil can be found in the ideal world of Eldorado. An important question to ask yourself is whether Voltaire's answer to an imperfect world is revolt or acceptance. In making up your mind, pay close attention to the character of Martin and to the conclusion (Chapter 30).
3. THE ROLE OF FATE OR PROVIDENCE
In Candide, Voltaire attacks not only the blanket optimism of Dr. Pangloss, but the religious notion of providence, the idea that there is a divine will guiding earthly events. The fact that good and bad alike suffer and die seems to be evidence that God is not in charge. Moreover, there seems little indication that any intelligible, rational design can be found in life's progression from disaster to disaster. Things seem to happen at random as Candide, Cunegonde, and the other characters are often pictured as victims of fate or circumstances. In denying providence as a beneficent guiding principle, Voltaire appears to be saying that either no rational pattern exists in the world, or, if it does, it is not readily evident to human beings. Some see Candide's final decision to concentrate on doing useful work as Voltaire's rejection of attempts to answer the question of why things happen in favor of simply acting to improve the world.
4. FREE WILL
The idea of free will is closely tied to the theme of fate. Candide raises the question of an individual's control over his own destiny. A long-standing debate among philosophers is whether man is predestined to a certain fate, and, if he is, what happens to free will and moral choice? Does it matter whether a man chooses to do good or evil if he is destined to act in a certain way, in any case? The characters in Candide seem to be pawns of fate; yet, at the end of the tale, Candide chooses what he will do with his life. He hopes to find contentment, and, in a certain measure, he does. There may be no absolute answers to the questions raised by the issues of fate and free will. But they are important issues to keep in mind as you read. Pay attention to moments when characters have choices and to moments when they apparently don't. What happens to them when they do make choices?
5. AN ATTACK ON RELIGION
The hypocrisy of religion, especially that of the Roman Catholic Church, is a recurrent theme in Candide. But other religions--Protestantism, Judaism, Islam--also receive the sting of Voltaire's wit. Underlying the satire of religious practices is Voltaire's outrage at all forms of fanaticism and intolerance. ("We are full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon our follies," he pleads in his Philosophical Dictionary, in the article on tolerance.) He relentlessly exposes the cruelties perpetrated in God's name. Some readers have seen Voltaire's view of religion as too one-sided, emphasizing only the negative aspects of religion without acknowledging its benefits. Others see Voltaire as exposing the abuses of religion without denying the validity of religion per se. What evidence can you find to support either or both of these views?
6. THE IMPORTANCE OF WORK
The theme of work and its beneficent effects is announced by the good old man of Chapter 30, who urges work as the antidote to "boredom, vice, and poverty." Work is essential to attain the contentment that the travelers find on their farm. Although this theme is brought up late, it is important for an understanding of the conclusion of Candide. See whether you can discover what distinguishes the work done on the farm at the end and what makes it a source of contentment. This theme will be touched upon more extensively in the discussion of Chapter 30.
Many of the themes of Candide are closely intertwined with one another. Together, they form a picture of Voltaire's view of the world and man's place in that world. To understand his view, follow these themes until they converge in Chapter 30. The final chapter is both the climax of Candide and the source of most debates on the meaning of Candide. Your interpretation of the story's conclusion will depend on how you interpret the themes discussed here and how you relate them to one another.
^^^^^^^^^^CANDIDE: STYLE
The writing in Candide is an excellent example of a clear, flexible prose style that the author adapts to suit his particular intention of the moment. Voltaire uses exaggeration, irony, and contrast with great ease to convey the humor of a situation or the emptiness of an argument.
The rhythm of the narrative is varied by mixing simple, declarative sentences with longer, complex sentences, marked by multiple clauses. Voltaire also uses an intermediate device; he connects two or more declarative sentences with semicolons. These techniques serve to keep the prose lively and the narrative moving forward.
When each character speaks, Voltaire matches his style to the character. Pangloss's sentences are complicated, piling clause upon clause as he spins his justifications. The old woman's tale is full of adjectives, colorful exaggerations, and dramatic touches when she describes her splendid past life in Italy.
The essential qualities of Voltaire's style are its clarity, its adaptability to different narrative moods, and its consistent forward movement. Candide does not drag. The author may pause occasionally for reflection or commentary, but the pace of the novel is generally lively.
There are many English translations of Candide in print. Among them, the ones most readily available in paperback are Voltaire: Candide, Zadig and Selected Stories translated by Donald Frame (New American Library), and Candide by Voltaire translated by Lowell Bair (Bantam Books). The version used in the preparation of this book is the Robert A. Adams translation (Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces). Most translations accurately reflect the tone of Voltaire's prose. Nonetheless, shades of meaning can differ and certain expressions can be interpreted differently by individual translators. For example, a phrase used to describe Candide in Chapter 1 has been translated in the following three ways:
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