CANDIDE

Originally published in 1759. Candide: or, All for the Best (1759); Candide: or, The Optimist (1762); and Candide: Optimism (1763) are all English translations of the novella (1947). Candide, a young man who lives in a secluded Edenic paradise and is indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism by his tutor, Professor Pangloss, begins the story. Candide's gradual and bitter disillusionment as he witnesses and endures significant hardships in the world is described in the novel. Voltaire closes Candide by suggesting a deeply practical rule, "we must cultivate our garden," in place of the Leibnizian mantra, if not openly rejecting Leibnizian optimism.

Candide excels at both its tone and its unstable, fantastic and fast-paced plots. A picaresque novel with a story similar to the story of a more serious adult narrator (bildungsroman) parody many adventure and romance clichés. However, the events discussed are often based on historical events such as the Seven Years' War and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Just as the philosophers of Voltaire's time suffer from the problem of evil,  this short theological novel, Candide, is more direct and humorous, but it does. Voltaire entertains religions, theologians, governments, the military, philosophers and philosophers. Through Candido, he attacks Leibniz and his optimism.