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Candide, ou l'optimisme

by Voltaire

View on Project Gutenberg

About Candide, ou l'optimisme

Candide, ou l'optimisme by Voltaire is a medium read in French (satire, philosophy). It takes about 2 h 50 min at 200 words per minute, a comfortable pace for language learners. The book is in the public domain and comes from Project Gutenberg.

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Main characters in Candide, ou l'optimisme

Engraving-style illustration of a young man in 18th-century clothes with a bundle on a stick walking down a country road beside an old bearded tutor, with a castle and ships on the coast behind.
AI-generated illustration

Candide, a naive young man raised to believe that everything is for the best, is thrown out of his baron's castle and travels across Europe and the Americas. Wars, earthquakes and betrayals test his optimism, and he ends by deciding that we must cultivate our own garden.

  • Candide

    The innocent young man whose faith in optimism is tested again and again.

  • Pangloss

    Candide's tutor, who insists that this is the best of all possible worlds.

  • Cunégonde

    The baron's daughter, whom Candide loves.

  • Cacambo

    Candide's resourceful valet, whom he meets in South America.

  • Martin

    A pessimistic scholar who becomes Candide's companion.

  • The Old Woman

    Cunégonde's servant, who has a terrible life story of her own.

  • The Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh

    Cunégonde's father, whose castle is Candide's first home.

Questions about Candide, ou l'optimisme

How many words are in Candide, ou l'optimisme?
Candide, ou l'optimisme by Voltaire has about 34,000 words. At 200 words per minute, a comfortable pace for language learners, it takes about 2 h 50 min to read.
Who are the main characters in Candide, ou l'optimisme?
The main characters are Candide, Pangloss, Cunégonde, Cacambo, Martin, The Old Woman and The Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh.
Can I read Candide, ou l'optimisme for free?
Yes. Candide, ou l'optimisme is in the public domain, and you can read it free in French on PolyglotReader with inline translation, word lookup and audio.

Candide, ou l'optimisme is more than a book: it is a language-learning tool

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