Candide: And Other Poetic and Philosophical Writings - Softcover

Voltaire

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1551117460 ISBN 13: 9781551117461

Publisher: Broadview Press, 2009

Synopsis

The philosophical problem of evil―that a supposedly good God could allow terrible human suffering―troubled the minds of eighteenth-century thinkers as it troubles us today. Voltaire’s classic novel Candide relates the misadventures of a young optimist who leaves his sheltered childhood to find his way in a cruel and irrational world. Fast-paced and full of dark humor, the novel mocks the suggestion that “all is well” and challenges us to create a better world.

This Broadview Edition follows the text of a 1759 English translation that was released concurrently with Voltaire’s first French edition. Candide is supplemented by Voltaire’s most important poetic and humanistic writings on God and evil, the Poem upon the Destruction of Lisbon and We Must Take Sides. The editor’s introduction situates the novel in its philosophical and intellectual setting; the appendices include other writings by Voltaire, as well as related writings by Bayle, Leibniz, Pope, Rousseau, and others that place the work in its poetic, philosophical, and humanistic contexts.

About this title

About the Author

Eric Palmer is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania.

From the Back Cover

The philosophical problem of evil―that a supposedly good God could allow terrible human suffering―troubled the minds of eighteenth-century thinkers as it troubles us today. Voltaire’s classic novel Candide relates the misadventures of a young optimist who leaves his sheltered childhood to find his way in a cruel and irrational world. Fast-paced and full of dark humor, the novel mocks the suggestion that “all is well” and challenges us to create a better world.

This Broadview Edition follows the text of a 1759 English translation that was released concurrently with Voltaire’s first French edition. Candide is supplemented by Voltaire’s most important poetic and humanistic writings on God and evil, the Poem upon the Destruction of Lisbon and We Must Take Sides. The editor’s introduction situates the novel in its philosophical and intellectual setting; the appendices include other writings by Voltaire, as well as related writings by Bayle, Leibniz, Pope, Rousseau, and others that place the work in its poetic, philosophical, and humanistic contexts.

Edition details

• Publisher: Broadview Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1551117460
• ISBN 13: 9781551117461
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Eric Palmer