Home › Glossary › Letter C

Candide

Literary Character
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Optimistic youth in Voltaire’s satire on philosophical optimism

Detailed Definition
Candide’s journey through catastrophe challenges the notion that “all is for the best.” In poetry, he symbolizes naive hope, the search for meaning, and the necessity of cultivating one’s own garden amid chaos.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Voltaire’s "Candide," the title character’s optimism is satirized through poetic irony; In W.H. Auden’s “Voltaire at Ferney,” Candide symbolizes naive faith in progress; In modern existential poetry, Candide represents the disillusionment of Enlightenment ideals; In Derek Walcott’s “The Sea is History,” Candide’s journey mirrors postcolonial search for meaning; In Tony Harrison’s “v.,” Candide’s “best of all possible worlds” is ironically contrasted with urban decay; In contemporary verse, Candide often signifies blind hope in the face of catastrophe.
Additional Notes
Candide, Voltaire’s satirical protagonist, embodies naive optimism shattered by experience; in poetry, “Candide” may symbolize disillusionment, the critique of philosophical systems (e.g., Leibnizian optimism), or the search for meaning amid chaos—references often carry ironic or didactic tones, questioning blind faith in progress or divine benevolence.
Also Known As
Optimist Naïve Traveler Voltaire’s Pilgrim
Skip to main content