Introduction

Voltaire. Candide, ou L’optimisme. The “La Vallière” Manuscript, 1758. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal.

On his travels in search of Cunegonde, his lost love, Voltaire’s Candide encounters a world marked by political and religious upheaval, scientific discovery, and colonial expansion. His tutor, Dr. Pangloss, insists that “all is for the best,” but continuous episodes of tragedy and devastation ultimately persuade Candide to reject such optimism.

Candide, or Optimism, is a work of fiction, but it is not a novel. Its zany and often ridiculous two-dimensional characters, and its improbable, rapid plot twists, cannot be taken seriously. These are elements of satire in Voltaire’s philosophical tale, or conte philosophique (a literary recasting of a debate), in which he set out to persuade his readers that one of the central and dominant ideas of the 18th century was both false and dangerous. Known as philosophical optimism, this is the idea that everything that happens in life is for the best, even if we cannot understand why it is so.

On its first publication, in 1759, Candide was a sensation—banned, pirated, and talked about all over Europe. Seventeen editions appeared in the first year alone. Although it was disparaged in the 19th century by the leading writers of French Romanticism, Candide became a staple in the canon of Western literature. It has been reprinted continuously for more than two centuries in all the major languages of the world and illustrated by artists of note. Candide as a cultural treasure has also been continuously transformed: imitated, excerpted, expanded, set to music, staged, and filmed.

This adaptability was Candide’s specialty from the start: refashioning controversies has made it an engine for 250 years of debate. This exhibition asks viewers to consider how Voltaire’s readers have refashioned Candide itself.

Oganized by Paul LeClerc, President and Chief Executive Officer, The New York Public Library
Curated by Alice Boone, Doctoral Candidate in English Literature, Columbia University

Support for this exhibition has been provided by Martin J. Gross, an anonymous donor, and Air France.

Additionally, special support for The Martin J. Gross Collection of Voltaire has been provided by Martin J. Gross, Barbara L. Goldsmith, and Robert W. Wilson.

Support for The New York Public Library’s Exhibitions Program has been provided by Celeste Bartos, Mahnaz Ispahani and Adam Bartos, Jonathan Altman, and Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III.