"Cliff Notes - Candide" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cliff Notes)

[He] combined an honest mind with great simplicity of heart; and I think it was for this reason that they called him Candide.
(Robert Adams)

His judgment was rather sound and his mind of the simplest; this is the reason, I think, why he was named Candide.
(Donald Frame)

He combined rather sound judgment with great simplicity of mind; it was for this reason, I believe, that he was given the name of Candide.
(Lowell Bair)

Each translation gives a slightly different view of Candide, but each captures the essential qualities of the character, his good judgment and lack of sophistication.

Any translation must lose something of the original, since style is unique to each writer. In particular, the fluidity of Voltaire's style seems sometimes difficult to capture. But, in general, most modern translations give the English reader a good reflection of Voltaire's style.

^^^^^^^^^^CANDIDE: SATIRE

Much of what happens in Candide may at first seem exaggerated or far-fetched. But exaggeration is one of the techniques of satire. Satire is a means of ridiculing something or someone in order to discredit it. It is a way of criticizing through humor. Therefore, the satirist, rather than calmly discussing or analyzing the faults or weaknesses of his target, tries to make his target as ridiculous as possible. He emphasizes the absurdity of a situation or an individual.

For that reason, satire may seem cruel--and sometimes is. You can defend yourself against criticism in a calm discussion but it's much harder to defend yourself when you've been made to look ridiculous. Satire is a literary technique with a long history. The plays of the Greek Aristophanes (448?-380? B.C.) lampooned the foibles of the ancient Athenians. In Voltaire's time, the works of Jonathan Swift were powerful voices of social criticism in Britain. Satire in Voltaire, and in other great masters of the technique, has a serious purpose. It is a means of pointing out injustice, cruelty, or bigotry and making them seem intolerable to you. There is always a serious intention behind the laughter in Candide.

^^^^^^^^^^CANDIDE: POINT OF VIEW

Candide is told in the third person by an omniscient narrator. You learn through the narrator what the characters do and say and how they react. The narrator permits you to read the characters' thoughts and emotions. Because Candide is the central character--it is his story--the narrator follows him throughout. Much more is revealed about Candide's thoughts and emotions than is revealed about the other characters.

Although the narrator is anonymous, he's not impartial. Ironic messages are conveyed by the author's choice of descriptive adjectives and verbs and by the contrast between Candide's naivete and what the narrator tells you is happening.

The function of the narrator in Candide is to make Voltaire's message absolutely clear. The reader is guided, persuaded to accept Voltaire's viewpoint. In many novels, the attitude of the author toward his characters and their stories is ambiguous. This is not so in Candide. All elements of the novel are used to convey a specific message, to help you reach a definite conclusion.

^^^^^^^^^^CANDIDE: FORM AND STRUCTURE

Candide can be divided into three parts, each consisting of ten chapters. The first part takes place in Europe, with the travelers setting sail for the New World in Chapter 10. The second part consists of Candide's voyage to and travels across South America. In Chapter 20, he again sets sail, this time for the return voyage to Europe. The final chapters are again set in the Old World. Voltaire does not explicitly divide the book into three parts, but the division is a natural one.

Candide has an irresistible forward motion. Various narrative devices--unexplained encounters, mysterious reunions, cliff-hanging teasers--carry the reader quickly from one short chapter to the next. The story moves consistently toward its conclusion, in Chapter 30. The debate over the "solution" of Candide, whether it is optimistic or pessimistic, is not resolved until the final chapter when Candide makes his decision about the direction his life will take.

The table of Candide's travels (below) will help you to keep track of the important things that happen to him in the book's various locations.

^^^^^^^^^^CANDIDE: CANDIDE'S TRAVELS

I. EUROPE

WESTPHALIA--Chapters 1-3. Candide is forced to leave Castle Thunder-Ten-Tronckh and is enrolled in the Bulgar army.

HOLLAND--Chapters 3-4. Candide meets the Anabaptist Jacques and finds his old tutor, Dr. Pangloss.

LISBON--Chapters 5-9. Candide witnesses the Lisbon earthquake and is flogged by the Inquisition. He meets his beloved Cunegonde whose two lovers he kills.

CADIZ--Chapter 10. Candide flees Lisbon and travels to Cadiz, Spain. He joins the army and sails for the New World.

^^^^^^^^^^CANDIDE: II. SOUTH AMERICA AND THE OCEAN VOYAGES

ON THE ATLANTIC--Chapters 11-12. Candide hears the old woman's story as he and Cunegonde sail to Buenos Aires.