Description
Discussions based on Voltaire's Candide.
The 18th century was not only the century of philosophy. It was also, and perhaps above all, the century of travel and exoticism, a period of self-affirmation in which the Orient provided access to the human essence. The sum total of Voltaire's experiences in 1759, Candide is the mythical expression of a personal journey. The plot takes the form of a journey through a world of suffering, prejudice and war, or the adventure novel of which the book is also a parody. Its brief chapters are stages in the apprenticeship of the young and naive Candide. In search of his companion, he finds his garden, a modest replica of Paradise Lost, just as laughter is a reflection of tragedy.
