Candide
Voltaire
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
The best of all possible worlds
What does Pangloss mean by 'the best of all possible worlds', and why does Voltaire mock it?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Candide hold on to it for so long?
- Do people still argue this way today?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
What does Pangloss mean by 'the best of all possible worlds', and why does Voltaire mock it?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Candide hold on to it for so long?
- Do people still argue this way today?
What does Candide's expulsion from the castle for kissing Cunégonde set in motion?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the castle as a 'paradise'?
- What does Candide lose, and gain, by leaving?
Which of the disasters in the book, from war to the Lisbon earthquake, struck you most?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Voltaire pile on so much suffering?
- Is the book funny, horrifying, or both?
What does the old woman's story add to the novel's view of suffering?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does she say she has often wanted to die but loves life too much?
- Who in the book has suffered most?
Why does Candide leave Eldorado, a land of plenty and peace?
Keep the conversation going
- What does Eldorado have that Europe doesn't?
- Is leaving it foolish or human?
How does Martin's pessimism compare with Pangloss's optimism?
Keep the conversation going
- Who did you find more convincing?
- Does Candide learn from either?
How did you feel when Candide finally finds Cunégonde again?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does he marry her anyway?
- What does her story say about the women in the book?
What do you think Candide means by 'we must cultivate our garden'?
Keep the conversation going
- Is it a retreat from the world, or a way to live in it?
- What would your 'garden' be?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.