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Voltaire's Candide, The Contes Philosoque

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Candide, the Contes Philosophique
The text “Candide” (1759) is representative work of the author Voltaire in eighteenth century. The main question of the text “Candide” given by Voltaire to readers is that optimism versus pessimism. Voltaire narrates the conflicts between these the two different ideologies through the main character Candide. This refers to the idea os the contes philosophique (Philosophical fiction), the “Candide” is written based on philosophical ideologies in that time. Based on this fact, “Candide” is a Contes Philosophique. The journal "Philosophy and Literature in Eighteenth-Century France" by Herbert Dieckmann also supports that idea of the Contes Philosophque in his work.
The reason why the text “Candide” can define …show more content…

Here we shall omit the direct statements and the enumeration of stylistic feature” (Dieckmann, 35).
As Dieckmann states in the journal, the text “Candide” refers to a Contes Philosophique. One of the main character in the text starts with Candide and his optimism. He is a naïve person and strongly inflexible on the optimism. Candide remain his born optimism even though he is being an unexpected journey without his …show more content…

Natural catastrophes, which are at the center of the Poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne, play a minor role in Candide. It is man's evil behavior and his abstract naïveté or wretched in- difference to this evil, his determination to look away or to see through rose-colored glasses, that are at stake. Voltaire's Candide is not addressed to God, but it is constantly and permanently ad- dressed to all of us” (Dieckmann, 35).
As indicated by the quotation, all the events of the main character Candide is definitely pessimistic more like than optimistic. Everywhere Candide goes except the place Eldorado, are full of pessimisms. Candide put his efforts to confirm the optimism but every time he tries, it always ends up being pessimistic circumstances.
Voltaire never reveals which side the text belongs to and lets the readers to decide. It is not clear to define that the text supports either the side of pessimism or optimism. The one fact it is crystal clear is that the text “Candide” is a Contes Philosophique weather it is not define as one certain ideology. Based on the constant metaphors of Candide’s moral development and the relations of its philosophical idea, plot, and style in the text. It is one of the representatives Contes Philosophique in the eighteenth century, as presents the ideological philosophic

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