Candide

ABOUT THE BOOK: Candide begins in the German town of Westphalia, where Candide, a young man, lives in the castle of Baron of Thunder ten tronckh. A noted philosopher, Doctor Pangloss, tutors the baron on philosophical optimism. Candide, a simple man, first accepts this philosophy, but as he experiences the horrors of war, poverty, the maliciousness of man, and the hypocrisy of the Church, he begins to doubt the voracity of Pangloss’s theory. Thus, philosophical optimism is the focus of Voltaire’s Satire; antiwar and antichurch refrains also run throughout the novel. Candide makes his way to a neighbouring town, where he is aided by two soldiers. He is pressed into service and endures beating at the hands of his superiors. He was slapped in every direction by fate. In Paris, Candide becomes ill and is attended by a variety of people, all of whom want a piece of his fortune. He recovers, but is tricked by an actress into giving away much of his fortune and is eventually arrested by the police.