Candide and The Maid of Orleans Author:Voltaire Candide is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." On the surface a witty, bantering tale, this eighteenth-century classic is actually a savage, satiric thrust at the philosophical optimis... more »m that proclaims that all disaster and human suffering is part of a benevolent cosmic plan. Fast, funny, often outrageous, the French philosopher's immortal narrative takes Candide around the world to discover that -- contrary to the teachings of his distinguished tutor Dr. Pangloss -- all is not always for the best. Alive with wit, brilliance, and graceful storytelling, Candide has become Voltaire's most celebrated work.
English translation by Richard Aldington
The Maid of Orléans -- La pucelle, the maid of OrleÌans : a heroic-comical poem in twenty-one cantos / English translation by W.H. Ireland, Lady Charleville, and Ernest Downson.« less