Voltaire (1694-1778), one of the intellectual giants of the eighteenth century, was born François-Marie Arouet, the son of a prosperous Parisian lawyer.Follow the links below to listen to the audio clips. In the audio guide below, Professor Roger Pearson of The Queen's College, Oxford, who translated Candide and Other Stories for Oxford World's Classics, introduces the book and its author. Candide is the most famous of Voltaire's "philosophical tales", in which he combined witty improbabilities with the sanest of good sense.įirst published in 1759, it was an instant bestseller and has come to be regarded as one of the key texts of the Enlightenment. We must cultivate our garden, for there is certainly room for improvement. There are no grounds for his daft theory of Optimism. Young Candide is tossed on a hilarious tide of misfortune, experiencing the full horror and injustice of this "best of all possible worlds" - the Old and the New - before finally accepting that his old philosophy tutor Dr Pangloss has got it all wrong. "If this is the best of all possible worlds, then what must the others be like?" Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. This new edition also includes a verse tale based on Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale, in which we discover that most elusive of secrets: What Pleases the Ladies.ĪBOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. What Candide does for chivalric romance, the other tales in this selection - Micromegas, Zadig, The Ingenu, and The White Bull - do for science fiction, the Oriental tale, the sentimental novel, and the Old Testament. First published in 1759, it was an instant bestseller and has come to be regarded as one of the key texts of the Enlightenment. We must cultivate our garden, for there is certainly room for improvement.Ĭandide is the most famous of Voltaire's 'philosophical tales', in which he combined witty improbabilities with the sanest of good sense. Young Candide is tossed on a hilarious tide of misfortune, experiencing the full horror and injustice of this 'best of all possible worlds' - the Old and the New - before finally accepting that his old philosophy tutor Dr Pangloss has got it all wrong. 'If this is the best of all possible worlds, then what must the others be like?' Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Global Public Health.The European Society of Cardiology Series.Oxford Commentaries on International Law.
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