Philosophical And Satirical Novel Candide Or Optimism

Ekaterina Ursul Professor James Baer History of Western Civilization II Philosophical and satirical novel by the famous French Enlightenment writer Candide, or Optimism was created in the XVIII century. One of the most popular works of Voltaire received an unexpected destiny. For a long time it was forbidden because of obscenity, and the writer himself admitted that his authorship, then renounced it. In Candide, or Optimism, Voltaire shows the historical and cultural realities of his time (for example, a military expedition against Spain, Portugal and Paraguay the Jesuits in 1756, or Japanese custom trample Christian crucifix after the trade with the Dutch), and hovering in the society legends (about the wonderful country of Eldorado). (DeWitt 4)The author also ridicules the main institutions of his time: military, church, government, schools and many others. In the novel, all institution do not do what it should do. The army do not protect people, and solders just kill many people as a result of disagreements between countries. The story of killing the admiral is shocking, and explained of cruelty in army at this time. Additionally, he shows in the story of the old women life, that solders are cruel and dishonest. They do not want to negotiate the peace even if they understand that they cannot win. As a result, they prefer to eat people who they should protect. During all novel, solders do not protect people but just mostly killed them. For example,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Voltaire s Candide 964 Words   |  4 PagesCandide is a French satire that was first published in 1759 by Voltaire, who was a philosopher during the Enlightenment Age. It is a story about a young man, Candide, who is a follower of Leibnizian optimism. Candide witnesses and experiences many hardships in the world that puts his life at risk and tests the strength of his beliefs. 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