Candide

Author: Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet) b. 1694 in Paris
Protagonist: Candide
Characters: Candide; Pangloss; Martin; Cunegonde; Cacambo; The old woman; the baron (Cunegonde's brother); Jacques the Anabaptist; The farmer; Count Pococurante; Paquette; Brother Giroflee; The Grand Inquisitor; Don Issachar; Don Fernando d’Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza; Vanderdendur; The Abbe of Perigord; The Marquise of Parolignac.

How does the idea of an "enlightened monarch" apply to today's political situation?


A knowledge of the following people, places and events will be of assistance in understanding Candide:

Louis XIV

The Enlightenment: A movement that began in the early 18th century that spread ideas about the equality and basic rights of man and the importance of reason and scientific objectivity.

Jesuits:

the French Regent:

Sully:

the Bastille:

King Frederick of Prussia (Frederick the Great): Voltaire was close friends with Frederick for a spell, during one of the author's many exiles from France. The friendship suffered after a while due to both unique personalities, though it was never completely severed. Some scholars assert that the Count from Candide, or even the Count's son, is modeled after Frederick. Voltaire especially disliked what he perceived as Frederick's pompous attitude, and Frederick was bothered by Voltaire's sharp and ironic satire, often aimed directly at the king's allies.

Lisbon:

Seven Years' War:

English Admiral John Byng:

Ferney: An estate on the border between France and Switzerland, purchased by Voltaire in 1759 so that he could make quick escape from French authorities if necessary. Ferney became a retreat for many of Voltaire's contemporary European intellectuals.

the Panthéon:

Jean-Jacques Rousseau:

René Descartes:

auto-da-fé

Leibniz

Anabaptist

the Inquisition

Surinam