English 287:  Great Books

Brief Study Guide to

Voltaire's Candide

There is a more detailed Study Guide for this work.  It is designed to help you get deeper into the issues Voltaire is raising, and point the way to more complicated interconnections among episodes in the story.

Meanwhile, here are some basic questions to be thinking about during and after your reading of this "philosophical tale.":

(1)   What is the main thesis of Pangloss's philosophy?  How does Voltaire contrive to make fun of this world view?

(2)   What seem to be the outstanding traits of James the Anabaptist, whom Candide & Pangloss meet in Amsterdam?  (If you are using a different translation, he may be called "Jacques" the Anabaptist.)

(3)   What outlook towards the world is characteristic of Candide's servant Cacambo?

(4)   What are the outstanding features of the people and society Candide & Cacambo meet in El Dorado?

(5)   What are the basic tenets of Martin's philosophy?

(6)   In the last chapter, why does the little band go to confer with the Turkish Dervish?  What do they ask him?  How does he reply?  What is the point of the little parable he resorts to?

(7)   How does the Turkish farmer's attitude towards life reflect the meaning of the Dervish's parable?

(8)   Looking back over the story as a whole, can you see how it is structured as a parody of the idea of "paradise lost" and "paradise regained"?

(9) What do you think are the implications of the idea that people should "cultivate their garden"?

  Suggestions are welcome.  Please send your comments to lyman@ksu.edu .

   Contents copyright © 2003 by Lyman A. Baker. 

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  This page last updated 25 October 2003 .