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Faust: A Prison

2006-03-16T21:22:29Z

Mhewett: /* Works Cited */

==Brief Summary==
On Walpurgis Night, Where witches and devils gather to celebrate the witches Sabbath, Faust sees a phantom that reminds him of Gretchen with a thin red line around her neck. Soon after, Faust learns that Gretchen has been put in prison for murdering her newborn child. He then denounces Mephisto and prays to God. He commands Mephisto to take him to Gretchen so he can free her. When they arrive at her jail cell they find Gretchen insane, but she is overjoyed when she sees Faust. However, screams in horror when she sets her eyes on Mephisto. Faust pleas with her to leave with him but she won't. Mephisto says that she is a lost cause and that Faust should leaver her to die. As they are leaving Gretchen is hanged and an angel's voice calls out that her soul has been saved.

==Commentary==
'''''Red line around Gretchen's neck''''': "Symbolizes her impending execution for drowning her child" (Campbell 258).

'''''Freedom''''': " Faust comes to realize that freedom in life belongs only to those who struggle and work for it daily. He discovers that freedom lies in surrendering the self so that one can more fully share in all life has to offer" (Campbell 257).

==Notes==
In "A Prison," Goethe relies on Shakespeare's tragedy [http://www.allshakespeare.com/hamlet/ Hamlet] in the representation of Gretchen's madness. Gretchen’s condition is based on that of the character Ophelia. The episode in which Gretchen imagines that she can still see her brother's blood on Faust's hand is an allusion to the scene in Shakespeare's [http://www.allshakespeare.com/macbeth/ Macbeth], in which Lady Macbeth imagines that she can see Duncan's blood on her hands.

===Lines 4251-4441: Faust's Surprise Visit===
Gretchen is singing a folk ballad, projecting herself into her dead child and denouncing its parents, she the whore, and Faust the rogue. Rather it is her version of a folksong of the day, and as with her other songs earlier in Part I it establishes her link with the women of German tradition, the heroines of earlier tragedies. We gather from this hint that her child has indeed died. She takes Faust, now entering, for the executioner and begs for his pity. Faust is afflicted by her misery, but yet again relates it in his self-centred way to his feelings and not hers (4441). Once more it is the way in which the scene stirs his own emotions that preoccupies him, as though he cannot merely feel but has to be always observing his reactions introspectively. And his Hamlet-like introspection has indeed been a feature of his speeches in Part I.

===Lines 4442-4451: Mephisto's Final Stir===
It now transpires that Gretchen has somehow killed her own child. She has become a character in the old story, the age-old story, of the fallen and doomed woman. Faust falls on his knees as the lover, while she ironically mistakes his gesture for the beginning of prayer. He has made the cult of sensual love his religion, and this is where it has led him. She has betrayed her own Christian morality and this is where it has led her. However there is an emotional barrier between the two of them, the result of their joint crimes, perhaps the Witches’ activity at the Ravenstone, and Mephistopheles’ presence. All is conspiring to thwart the rescue. Gretchen cannot convince herself that he still loves her, is still warm towards her. As a murderess of her own mother and now her child, she cannot accept guilt-ridden freedom, and is held back by conscience. What after all would await her outside? It is too late. Faust now makes, at last, his declaration. He will stay with her. That precipitates a mental crisis for her (4551). By not standing by her before he has increased the dimensions of the tragedy. Now, too late, he makes his promise. She meanwhile is preoccupied by the two accusatory deaths, of her child and her mother. Faust is not, as we can see, similarly preoccupied with the death of Valentine and the tragedy he has initiated.

===Lines 4452-4559: The End===
Gretchen is resigned, anticipating, and envisioning her death. She sees Faust momentarily as a hostile physical force. Now Mephistopheles urges flight, as ever. Run from the unacceptable and the tragic, is his message. His appearance is the last straw, since Gretchen believes him the Devil incarnate, and she throws herself on Divine Mercy, while fearing for Faust’s soul. Mephistopheles cries out that she is judged, but a voice from above, offering the grace and mercy she seeks, cries out that she is saved (4557). Obeying the Church’s message of faith and penitence, she is a candidate for redemption, as a sinner but an unwitting one, a criminal but without murderous intent. Regardless of his own beliefs which were hardly conventional, Goethe brings Part I to a traditional enough close. A sinner is rescued, but Faust and Mephistopheles flee.

==Study Questions==
#The character of Margarete was inspired in the first place by a real-life story Goethe had heard of a young woman who was seduced and abandoned, who killed her illegitimate child, was condemned to death, and whose repentant lover joined her in prison to share her fate. In what important way does this scene differ from the original incident?
#Having been either directly or indirectly responsible for the death of her mother, brother, and baby, Margarete has gone insane with guilt. She madly performs this action in her prison cell, in this she blends the classical myth of Tereus and Procne (which involves cannibalism and rape) with a similar Germanic tale in which the victim is turned into a bird. What is Margarete doing and why?
#Who does Margarete think is coming when she hears Faust and Mephistopheles enter the prison?
#How does Margarete speak differently than she might have if her madness did not prevent her from recognizing Faust, and how does that create a powerful effect on him?
#What has Margarete learned that she did not understand earlier that explains why Faust seduced her?
#Margarete imagines that someone else has stolen and killed her baby, and complains of the sensational street ballads that are being composed about her crime. What evidence is there that Margarete, though mad, has recovered much of her sensitivity to evil?
#In what way does line 4490 say more than Margarete intends?
#At what point does Margarete seem to emerge from her madness into relative sanity?
# As Margarete imagines her own execution, she is finally saved--why?
# What is Margarete's final reaction toward Faust?

==Works Cited==
*[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Study guide and Character Analysis]
*[http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/faust12.asp Pink Monkey Notes on Faust]
Campbell, John. The Book of Great Books. New York: Metrobooks, 1997.

Faust: A Prison

2006-03-16T21:21:45Z

Mhewett: /* Commentary */

Faust: A Prison

2006-03-16T21:20:37Z

Mhewett: /* Brief Summary */

==Brief Summary==
On Walpurgis Night, Where witches and devils gather to celebrate the witches Sabbath, Faust sees a phantom that reminds him of Gretchen with a thin red line around her neck. Soon after, Faust learns that Gretchen has been put in prison for murdering her newborn child. He then denounces Mephisto and prays to God. He commands Mephisto to take him to Gretchen so he can free her. When they arrive at her jail cell they find Gretchen insane, but she is overjoyed when she sees Faust. However, screams in horror when she sets her eyes on Mephisto. Faust pleas with her to leave with him but she won't. Mephisto says that she is a lost cause and that Faust should leaver her to die. As they are leaving Gretchen is hanged and an angel's voice calls out that her soul has been saved.

==Commentary==

==Notes==
In "A Prison," Goethe relies on Shakespeare's tragedy [http://www.allshakespeare.com/hamlet/ Hamlet] in the representation of Gretchen's madness. Gretchen’s condition is based on that of the character Ophelia. The episode in which Gretchen imagines that she can still see her brother's blood on Faust's hand is an allusion to the scene in Shakespeare's [http://www.allshakespeare.com/macbeth/ Macbeth], in which Lady Macbeth imagines that she can see Duncan's blood on her hands.

===Lines 4251-4441: Faust's Surprise Visit===
Gretchen is singing a folk ballad, projecting herself into her dead child and denouncing its parents, she the whore, and Faust the rogue. Rather it is her version of a folksong of the day, and as with her other songs earlier in Part I it establishes her link with the women of German tradition, the heroines of earlier tragedies. We gather from this hint that her child has indeed died. She takes Faust, now entering, for the executioner and begs for his pity. Faust is afflicted by her misery, but yet again relates it in his self-centred way to his feelings and not hers (4441). Once more it is the way in which the scene stirs his own emotions that preoccupies him, as though he cannot merely feel but has to be always observing his reactions introspectively. And his Hamlet-like introspection has indeed been a feature of his speeches in Part I.

===Lines 4442-4451: Mephisto's Final Stir===
It now transpires that Gretchen has somehow killed her own child. She has become a character in the old story, the age-old story, of the fallen and doomed woman. Faust falls on his knees as the lover, while she ironically mistakes his gesture for the beginning of prayer. He has made the cult of sensual love his religion, and this is where it has led him. She has betrayed her own Christian morality and this is where it has led her. However there is an emotional barrier between the two of them, the result of their joint crimes, perhaps the Witches’ activity at the Ravenstone, and Mephistopheles’ presence. All is conspiring to thwart the rescue. Gretchen cannot convince herself that he still loves her, is still warm towards her. As a murderess of her own mother and now her child, she cannot accept guilt-ridden freedom, and is held back by conscience. What after all would await her outside? It is too late. Faust now makes, at last, his declaration. He will stay with her. That precipitates a mental crisis for her (4551). By not standing by her before he has increased the dimensions of the tragedy. Now, too late, he makes his promise. She meanwhile is preoccupied by the two accusatory deaths, of her child and her mother. Faust is not, as we can see, similarly preoccupied with the death of Valentine and the tragedy he has initiated.

===Lines 4452-4559: The End===
Gretchen is resigned, anticipating, and envisioning her death. She sees Faust momentarily as a hostile physical force. Now Mephistopheles urges flight, as ever. Run from the unacceptable and the tragic, is his message. His appearance is the last straw, since Gretchen believes him the Devil incarnate, and she throws herself on Divine Mercy, while fearing for Faust’s soul. Mephistopheles cries out that she is judged, but a voice from above, offering the grace and mercy she seeks, cries out that she is saved (4557). Obeying the Church’s message of faith and penitence, she is a candidate for redemption, as a sinner but an unwitting one, a criminal but without murderous intent. Regardless of his own beliefs which were hardly conventional, Goethe brings Part I to a traditional enough close. A sinner is rescued, but Faust and Mephistopheles flee.

==Study Questions==
#The character of Margarete was inspired in the first place by a real-life story Goethe had heard of a young woman who was seduced and abandoned, who killed her illegitimate child, was condemned to death, and whose repentant lover joined her in prison to share her fate. In what important way does this scene differ from the original incident?
#Having been either directly or indirectly responsible for the death of her mother, brother, and baby, Margarete has gone insane with guilt. She madly performs this action in her prison cell, in this she blends the classical myth of Tereus and Procne (which involves cannibalism and rape) with a similar Germanic tale in which the victim is turned into a bird. What is Margarete doing and why?
#Who does Margarete think is coming when she hears Faust and Mephistopheles enter the prison?
#How does Margarete speak differently than she might have if her madness did not prevent her from recognizing Faust, and how does that create a powerful effect on him?
#What has Margarete learned that she did not understand earlier that explains why Faust seduced her?
#Margarete imagines that someone else has stolen and killed her baby, and complains of the sensational street ballads that are being composed about her crime. What evidence is there that Margarete, though mad, has recovered much of her sensitivity to evil?
#In what way does line 4490 say more than Margarete intends?
#At what point does Margarete seem to emerge from her madness into relative sanity?
# As Margarete imagines her own execution, she is finally saved--why?
# What is Margarete's final reaction toward Faust?

==Works Cited==
*[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Study guide and Character Analysis]
*[http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/faust12.asp Pink Monkey Notes on Faust]

Faust: A Prison

2006-03-16T21:20:08Z

Mhewett: /* Brief Summary */

==Brief Summary==
On Walpurgis Night, Where witches and devils gather to celebrate the witches Sabbath, Faust sees a phantom that reminds him of Gretchen with a thin red line around her neck. Soon after, Faust learns that Gretchen has been put in prison for murdering her newborn child. He then denounces Mephisto and prays to God. He commands Mephisto to take him to Gretchen so he can free her. When they arrive at her jail cell they find Gretchen insane, but she is overjoyed when she sees Faust. However, screams in horror when she sets her eyes on Mephisto. Faust pleas with her to leave with him but she won't. Mephisto says that she is a lost cause and that Faust should leaver her to die. As they are leaving Gretchen is hanged and an angel's voice calls out that her soul has been saved.

==Commentary==

==Notes==
In "A Prison," Goethe relies on Shakespeare's tragedy [http://www.allshakespeare.com/hamlet/ Hamlet] in the representation of Gretchen's madness. Gretchen’s condition is based on that of the character Ophelia. The episode in which Gretchen imagines that she can still see her brother's blood on Faust's hand is an allusion to the scene in Shakespeare's [http://www.allshakespeare.com/macbeth/ Macbeth], in which Lady Macbeth imagines that she can see Duncan's blood on her hands.

===Lines 4251-4441: Faust's Surprise Visit===
Gretchen is singing a folk ballad, projecting herself into her dead child and denouncing its parents, she the whore, and Faust the rogue. Rather it is her version of a folksong of the day, and as with her other songs earlier in Part I it establishes her link with the women of German tradition, the heroines of earlier tragedies. We gather from this hint that her child has indeed died. She takes Faust, now entering, for the executioner and begs for his pity. Faust is afflicted by her misery, but yet again relates it in his self-centred way to his feelings and not hers (4441). Once more it is the way in which the scene stirs his own emotions that preoccupies him, as though he cannot merely feel but has to be always observing his reactions introspectively. And his Hamlet-like introspection has indeed been a feature of his speeches in Part I.

===Lines 4442-4451: Mephisto's Final Stir===
It now transpires that Gretchen has somehow killed her own child. She has become a character in the old story, the age-old story, of the fallen and doomed woman. Faust falls on his knees as the lover, while she ironically mistakes his gesture for the beginning of prayer. He has made the cult of sensual love his religion, and this is where it has led him. She has betrayed her own Christian morality and this is where it has led her. However there is an emotional barrier between the two of them, the result of their joint crimes, perhaps the Witches’ activity at the Ravenstone, and Mephistopheles’ presence. All is conspiring to thwart the rescue. Gretchen cannot convince herself that he still loves her, is still warm towards her. As a murderess of her own mother and now her child, she cannot accept guilt-ridden freedom, and is held back by conscience. What after all would await her outside? It is too late. Faust now makes, at last, his declaration. He will stay with her. That precipitates a mental crisis for her (4551). By not standing by her before he has increased the dimensions of the tragedy. Now, too late, he makes his promise. She meanwhile is preoccupied by the two accusatory deaths, of her child and her mother. Faust is not, as we can see, similarly preoccupied with the death of Valentine and the tragedy he has initiated.

===Lines 4452-4559: The End===
Gretchen is resigned, anticipating, and envisioning her death. She sees Faust momentarily as a hostile physical force. Now Mephistopheles urges flight, as ever. Run from the unacceptable and the tragic, is his message. His appearance is the last straw, since Gretchen believes him the Devil incarnate, and she throws herself on Divine Mercy, while fearing for Faust’s soul. Mephistopheles cries out that she is judged, but a voice from above, offering the grace and mercy she seeks, cries out that she is saved (4557). Obeying the Church’s message of faith and penitence, she is a candidate for redemption, as a sinner but an unwitting one, a criminal but without murderous intent. Regardless of his own beliefs which were hardly conventional, Goethe brings Part I to a traditional enough close. A sinner is rescued, but Faust and Mephistopheles flee.

==Study Questions==
#The character of Margarete was inspired in the first place by a real-life story Goethe had heard of a young woman who was seduced and abandoned, who killed her illegitimate child, was condemned to death, and whose repentant lover joined her in prison to share her fate. In what important way does this scene differ from the original incident?
#Having been either directly or indirectly responsible for the death of her mother, brother, and baby, Margarete has gone insane with guilt. She madly performs this action in her prison cell, in this she blends the classical myth of Tereus and Procne (which involves cannibalism and rape) with a similar Germanic tale in which the victim is turned into a bird. What is Margarete doing and why?
#Who does Margarete think is coming when she hears Faust and Mephistopheles enter the prison?
#How does Margarete speak differently than she might have if her madness did not prevent her from recognizing Faust, and how does that create a powerful effect on him?
#What has Margarete learned that she did not understand earlier that explains why Faust seduced her?
#Margarete imagines that someone else has stolen and killed her baby, and complains of the sensational street ballads that are being composed about her crime. What evidence is there that Margarete, though mad, has recovered much of her sensitivity to evil?
#In what way does line 4490 say more than Margarete intends?
#At what point does Margarete seem to emerge from her madness into relative sanity?
# As Margarete imagines her own execution, she is finally saved--why?
# What is Margarete's final reaction toward Faust?

==Works Cited==
*[http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/faust.html Study guide and Character Analysis]
*[http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/faust12.asp Pink Monkey Notes on Faust]

Notes from Underground

2006-03-13T03:50:44Z

Mhewett: /* Critical Perspectives */

:"What sort of Crystal Palace would it be if any sort of doubt were allowed?" —the Underground Man

''Notes from Underground'' written by [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]].

== Study Guide ==
Brief summaries, commentaries, and notes on ''Notes''.

=== Notes from Underground, Part 1===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]

=== Notes from Underground, Part 2: Apropos of Wet Snow ===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]

==History==

==Timeline==

==Characters==

===The Underground Man===
The Underground Man is the narrator and protagonist of Notes of Underground. The Underground Man can be viewed as: "a sheer irrationalist whose rejection of Rational Egoism is a tortured emotional outburst with no logical credentials" (Scanlan). He beleives that consciousness is a disease: " I swear to you, gentlemen, that being overly conscious is a disease, a genuine, full-fledged disease" (1257). Such consciousness shows: "within Underground Man's self-descriptions, while relational in the ways not reducible to behavior" (Hagberg).

==Themes==

== Major Symbols ==
===Underground===
It is the home of the underground man. It is also refered to as his corner. " Yet the underground is more than a physical placeof isolation; it's a psychological hang-up as well. Possessing the overly sensitive and sheltered consciousness of the underground, the underground man finds himself unable and unwilling to meaningfully interact with others, despite his desire to do just that" (Novelguide). The underground man claims to prefer the underground to the real world. There he is able to express his indviduality.

===The Ant Hill===
This shows that there is no individuality. All of the ants are working for one main goal.

==Critical Perspectives==
Notes from the underground is an important work in Western European history. " It has attracted attention for many reasons. For one , it contains an all-out assault on Enlightenment rationalism and the idea of progress which foreshadows many such assaults in the mid-to-late twentieth century" (WSU). Another example of this novels' importance is the fact that it has one of the first anti-heroes in fiction. " It portrays a protagonist utterly lacking every trait of the Romantic hero and living out a futile life on the margins of society. Such figures were to dominate much serious fiction in the mid-twentieth century" (WSU).

==External Links and Resources==

==Works Cited==
*Hagberg, Garry L. "Wittgenstein Underground." ''Philosophy and literature'' 28.2 (2004): 379-392.
*Scanlan, James P. "The Case against Rational Egoism in Dostoevsky's ''Notes from Underground''." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 60.3 (1999): 549-567.
*''Novelguide.com''. "Notes from the Underground". March 2006 [<http://www.novelgude.com/notesfromtheunderground/metaphoranaylysis.html>.][[Category:World Literature]]

Notes from Underground

2006-03-13T03:43:18Z

Mhewett: /* Critical Perspectives */

:"What sort of Crystal Palace would it be if any sort of doubt were allowed?" —the Underground Man

''Notes from Underground'' written by [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]].

== Study Guide ==
Brief summaries, commentaries, and notes on ''Notes''.

=== Notes from Underground, Part 1===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]

=== Notes from Underground, Part 2: Apropos of Wet Snow ===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]

==History==

==Timeline==

==Characters==

===The Underground Man===
The Underground Man is the narrator and protagonist of Notes of Underground. The Underground Man can be viewed as: "a sheer irrationalist whose rejection of Rational Egoism is a tortured emotional outburst with no logical credentials" (Scanlan). He beleives that consciousness is a disease: " I swear to you, gentlemen, that being overly conscious is a disease, a genuine, full-fledged disease" (1257). Such consciousness shows: "within Underground Man's self-descriptions, while relational in the ways not reducible to behavior" (Hagberg).

==Themes==

== Major Symbols ==
===Underground===
It is the home of the underground man. It is also refered to as his corner. " Yet the underground is more than a physical placeof isolation; it's a psychological hang-up as well. Possessing the overly sensitive and sheltered consciousness of the underground, the underground man finds himself unable and unwilling to meaningfully interact with others, despite his desire to do just that" (Novelguide). The underground man claims to prefer the underground to the real world. There he is able to express his indviduality.

===The Ant Hill===
This shows that there is no individuality. All of the ants are working for one main goal.

==Critical Perspectives==
Notes from the underground is an important work in Western European history. " It has atracted attention for many reasons. For one , it contains an all-out assault on Enlightenment rationalism and the idea of progress which foreshadows many such assaults in the mid-to-late twentieth century" (Wsu).

==External Links and Resources==

==Works Cited==
*Hagberg, Garry L. "Wittgenstein Underground." ''Philosophy and literature'' 28.2 (2004): 379-392.
*Scanlan, James P. "The Case against Rational Egoism in Dostoevsky's ''Notes from Underground''." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 60.3 (1999): 549-567.
*''Novelguide.com''. "Notes from the Underground". March 2006 [<http://www.novelgude.com/notesfromtheunderground/metaphoranaylysis.html>.][[Category:World Literature]]

Notes from Underground

2006-03-13T03:21:08Z

Mhewett: /* Underground */

:"What sort of Crystal Palace would it be if any sort of doubt were allowed?" —the Underground Man

''Notes from Underground'' written by [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]].

== Study Guide ==
Brief summaries, commentaries, and notes on ''Notes''.

=== Notes from Underground, Part 1===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]

=== Notes from Underground, Part 2: Apropos of Wet Snow ===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]

==History==

==Timeline==

==Characters==

===The Underground Man===
The Underground Man is the narrator and protagonist of Notes of Underground. The Underground Man can be viewed as: "a sheer irrationalist whose rejection of Rational Egoism is a tortured emotional outburst with no logical credentials" (Scanlan). He beleives that consciousness is a disease: " I swear to you, gentlemen, that being overly conscious is a disease, a genuine, full-fledged disease" (1257). Such consciousness shows: "within Underground Man's self-descriptions, while relational in the ways not reducible to behavior" (Hagberg).

==Themes==

== Major Symbols ==
===Underground===
It is the home of the underground man. It is also refered to as his corner. " Yet the underground is more than a physical placeof isolation; it's a psychological hang-up as well. Possessing the overly sensitive and sheltered consciousness of the underground, the underground man finds himself unable and unwilling to meaningfully interact with others, despite his desire to do just that" (Novelguide). The underground man claims to prefer the underground to the real world. There he is able to express his indviduality.

===The Ant Hill===
This shows that there is no individuality. All of the ants are working for one main goal.

==Critical Perspectives==

==External Links and Resources==

==Works Cited==
*Hagberg, Garry L. "Wittgenstein Underground." ''Philosophy and literature'' 28.2 (2004): 379-392.
*Scanlan, James P. "The Case against Rational Egoism in Dostoevsky's ''Notes from Underground''." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 60.3 (1999): 549-567.
*''Novelguide.com''. "Notes from the Underground". March 2006 [<http://www.novelgude.com/notesfromtheunderground/metaphoranaylysis.html>.][[Category:World Literature]]

Notes from Underground

2006-03-13T03:15:18Z

Mhewett: /* Works Cited */

:"What sort of Crystal Palace would it be if any sort of doubt were allowed?" —the Underground Man

''Notes from Underground'' written by [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]].

== Study Guide ==
Brief summaries, commentaries, and notes on ''Notes''.

=== Notes from Underground, Part 1===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 1, Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]

=== Notes from Underground, Part 2: Apropos of Wet Snow ===
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 8|Chapter 8]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
#[[Notes from Underground: Part 2, Chapter 10|Chapter 10]]

==History==

==Timeline==

==Characters==

===The Underground Man===
The Underground Man is the narrator and protagonist of Notes of Underground. The Underground Man can be viewed as: "a sheer irrationalist whose rejection of Rational Egoism is a tortured emotional outburst with no logical credentials" (Scanlan). He beleives that consciousness is a disease: " I swear to you, gentlemen, that being overly conscious is a disease, a genuine, full-fledged disease" (1257). Such consciousness shows: "within Underground Man's self-descriptions, while relational in the ways not reducible to behavior" (Hagberg).

==Themes==

== Major Symbols ==
===Underground===
It is the home of the underground man. It is also refered to as his corner. " Yet the underground is more than a physical placeof isolation; it's a psychological hang-up as well. Possessing the overly sensitive and sheltered consciousness of the underground, the underground man finds himself unable and unwilling to meaningfully interact with others, despite his desire to do just that" (Novelguide).

===The Ant Hill===
This shows that there is no individuality. All of the ants are working for one main goal.

==Critical Perspectives==

==External Links and Resources==

==Works Cited==
*Hagberg, Garry L. "Wittgenstein Underground." ''Philosophy and literature'' 28.2 (2004): 379-392.
*Scanlan, James P. "The Case against Rational Egoism in Dostoevsky's ''Notes from Underground''." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 60.3 (1999): 549-567.
*''Novelguide.com''. "Notes from the Underground". March 2006 [<http://www.novelgude.com/notesfromtheunderground/metaphoranaylysis.html>.][[Category:World Literature]]

Notes from Underground

2006-03-12T19:39:54Z

Mhewett: /* Major Symbols */

Faust

2006-02-20T05:06:04Z

Mhewett: /* Urge for Knowledge */

==Synopsis==

==History==

==Timeline==

==Themes==

===Urge for Knowledge===
The most significant theme in ''Faust'' is the drive for humankind to understand what they do not know. Faust, in a way, is representing all of the human race: "He is able to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, but must make errors before he can learn and grow" (Campbell 257). The human is naturally inquizative about the world and the universe. Faust is unhappy beause he can not find the answers to life, and he even contemplates suicide to end his despair. It is his " urge for knowledge" that is the driving force behind the play. If he wasn't curiuos about the world then the devil would have not made a wager with God to display than human are unhappy because of their intelligence.

==References in Popular Culture==
===Devil===
Mephistopheles is Goethe's devil. The devil is a fallen angel that became evil.

===Easter===
Easter symbolizes rebirth of Christ. The bells begin to chime and the chorus begins singing songs of praise right at the time Faist is about to drink posion to kill himself. By hearing the chorus, Faust comes out of his stuper and does not go through with the act. This is like rebirth; Faust was so close to death but then he comes back to reality.

==Critical Perspectives==

Just as Satin tempts Faust he also tempts priests. Faust is tempted by the devil. The devil is willing to do anything for Faust to make him happy except make moral decisions. The devil becomes Faust’s servant. He does so to get Faust’s soul, this occurs when Faust is finally truly happy. As soon as Faust becomes happy he will die and the devil will get his soul. Priests are also tempted by the devil in the way of their vow for celibacy. Many priests are sexually tempted to sin and indulge their mortal yearning. Although they know that this indulgence is sin, the devil makes the opportunity appear very promising and pleasurable. Faust has the same problem; the devil says he will do anything for him to please him. Faust believes he can withstand the devil’s temptations to become perfectly happy so he accepts the devil’s challenge. Faust begins with having the devil make him young again and then he sees a beautiful young lady and demands that she be his. Then failing to see the devil’s trickery, he gives in to the devil’s demise and “deflowers” her and she becomes pregnant. Faust then leaves and she goes crazy in her jail cell. Priests are often subjected to public reproach after committing their sins. Faust’s sin was not the sin that the lord and the devil bet on. Faust did not find a moment that he wanted to linger. The devil fails to tempt Faust enough to take his soul.

==External Links and Resources==
* [[Faust Summary]]

==Works Cited==

[[Category:World Literature]]

Faust

2006-02-20T05:05:34Z

Mhewett: /* Themes */

Candide

2006-02-15T04:33:07Z

Mhewett: /* Cunégonde */

A [[satire]] by [[Voltaire]].

==Historical Context==
In the 18th century new ideas and philosophies were popping up everywhere. An intellectual movement in Europe known as as the Enlightment started to change the way man viewed his world. Also known as the age of reason, this was the road to understanding in which Voltaire lived. Isaac Newton introduced the idea that the universe was governed by setlaws that were also able to be discovered. This concept was detremental to the way people had prevously thought because it undermined the faith in a personal God. It was believed by many philosphers, such as Voltaire, that churches should not interfere with scientific research. By the end of the 1700's, the idea of self-government had changed in England and started a revolution in France and America. Europe moved from an rural farming economy to an industrial one. At the end of this century the world had changed dramatically as the advances in science, political democracy, and religious freedom swept away the last traces of the Middle Ages (Gunnels & Sutton).

==Themes==
===The Folly of Optimism===
The Folly of Optimism is a recurring theme throughout the novel. By most definitions, optimism is a positive outlook on life and situations, assuming there are good times to come even in the darkest of hours. However, through this novel, optimism is at times not seen as a beneficial outlook. According to Candide himself, optimism "is a mania for saying things are well when one is in hell" (Voltaire 410). Optimism is seen as a slight sign of insanity, a trait that causes a person to constantly suffer in the mere hopes that troubled times will one day turn around.

The old woman is a prime example. Through all her hardships, all her torturous sufferings, she carried on; a glimmer of hope inside her that all hope is not lost. In telling her story, she talks of an optimistic outlook, of her own optimism; "A hundred times I wanted to kill myself, but I always loved life more. This ridiculous weakness is perhaps one of our worst instincts; is anything more stupid than choosing to carry a burden that really one wants to cast on the ground" (Voltaire 396).

Candide is another example. He went through some hardships as well. Candide says "The enormous riches which this rascal had stolen were sunk beside him in the sea, and nothing was saved but a sheep" (Voltaire 413). He was talking about the man who had robbed him of his possessions. He said very optimistic things about the fate of this man and the sheep that was his was saved.

Although their optimism is the main reason for their survival and ability to continue on through their sufferings, the characters view their optimism as one of the main causes for those sufferings they must go through.

The Folly is the belief that Candide is going to find Cunegonde like he first loved her. Even though this doesn't happen, that is where optimism comes into effect. With her breast fallen, Candide still took her to be his wife, what "Optimism", what a man (Voltaire 435).

===Is There Truely A Utopia===

===The Uselessness of Philosophical Speculation===
Throughout ''Candide'', three different philosophies are presented: optomism, pessimism, and skeptism. Pangloss is the character who embodies optomism. He states: " It is clear that things cannot be otherwise than they are, for since everything is made to serve and end, everything necessarliy serves the best end" (378). He also argues: "that there cannot possibly be an effect without a cause" meaning that everything in the world has a specific purpose and reason (378). Martin, however, is the total opposite of Pangloss. He only sees the worst of any situation due to the hardships he has faced. He has survived being robbed by his wife, beaten by his son, deserted by a daughter foolish enough to get kidnapped, and being fired from the modest job that provided his meager existance. At this point in his life, he has nothing to live for, and therefore, finds no joy in living. He states that "I have seen so many extraordinary things that nothing seems extraordinary anymore" (414). Cacambo is the skeptic. His belief is somewhere in between that of Pangloss and Martin: "That is, Cacambo embodies the notion that one cannot know whether or not ultimate reality can be proven by reason" (Beck). Cacambo has talents: " he had been choirboy, sacristan, sailor, monk, merchant, solider, and lackey" (398). These talents have furthered his knowledge, and he has learned through personal expriences to take a more realistic view on life. Candide is swayed by both extreme philosophies in the story. He lives by Pangloss' optimism and then takes Martin's pessismism for a try. However, " By the novel's end, Candide shares Voltaire's diest attitude that God abandoned the world after having created it, and that humans must cultivate their own garden" (Campbell 113).

===Greed===
One of the major themes in ''Candide'' is greed. In Candide’s world greed is like an infection that has spread almost everywhere. The only place untouched by greed is Eldorado. Almost everyone Candide meets is driven by the need to acquire wealth. These individuals are portrayed as evil people with no morals.

The merchant Vanderdendur steals Candide’s last two sheep that carry Candide’s jewels. Vanderdendur is one of many characters in the story that is portrayed as being truly evil. Before Candide meets Vanderdendur he meets a slave that was once owned by Vanderdendur. Vanderdendur has cut off this slave’s right hand and left leg and left him on the side of the road.

Candide and Pangloss met a sailor on Jacques’s ship. After a massive earthquake this sailor runs through the ruins looking for anything he can take. His only desire is to gain wealth. As with Vanderdendur this sailor is also shown as being evil beforehand. On Jacques’s ship this sailor attacks Jacques. The violent movements of the ship knock the sailor overboard. Jacques helps the sailor back up. Jacques then falls over the side. The sailor does nothing to help Jacques. He watches as Jacques drowns.

The only place that the disease of greed does not touch is Eldorado. Eldorado is a mythical city filled with gold and jewels. Everyone seeks Eldorado but very few reach it. Greed does not exist there because the gold and jewels have no value. There is so much of the gold that the inhabitants see them as pebbles on the ground. The people of Eldorado live peaceful lives. They are not greedy so they have no need to make war upon each other.

===The Hypocrisy of Religion===
The hypocrisy of religion is something that is very cleverly used in the works of Candide. Voltaire uses satire throughout the novel with the characters who are considered to be very religious men, who are actually doing the complete opposite of what is considered to be religious and moral. Cunegonde is held as a prisoner of war and is bought and sold by men of religious beliefs. “Finally my Jew, fearing for his life, struck a bargain by which the house and I would belong to both of them as joint tenants; the Jew would get Mondays, Wednesdays, and the Sabbath, the inquisitor would get the other days of the week” (388).

Auto-da-fe, or an act of faith, are used to scare people. In this novel, the Grand Inquisitor uses this tool to ensure that he gets to have Cunegonde for himself as well. “The inquisitor threatened him with an auto-da-fe”(388).

It is the characters who hold no place in society who are admired and sympathized with by Voltaire in the novel. It is “a man who had never been baptized, a good Anabaptist named Jacques” who is the man who does the right thing in this novel (380). He sees Candide as someone who needs help, so he offers everything that is at his disposal. It seems as if religion is used a political strategy by the people higher up in society, but it is used as a way of life by the smaller men.

===Sexual Exploitation===

===Resurection===

All throughout ''Candide'' we see characters being "resurrected". For example, Cunegonde's brother, the Jesuit Baron, is resurrected at the end of the story and also Master Pangloss. Both of these men had supposably been killed earlier on in the story but show up in the end. Candide was to have killed the baron with his sword when he slit his chest open. Pangloss was to have been hung and then burned, but got rescued from the actual burning. The rope that was around his neck was not tight enough, therefore he was still breathing. Also, Candide was badly beat but survived and was nursed back to health. The entire story is really an example of resurrection because everyone was seperated at some point, but all of the main characters end up reunited back together.

===The Evil of Poverty===

In the story ''Candide'' almost everyone in the story is or at once in the clutches of poverty. This seems to be a vice that no one can escape. At one point in the story Candide has supper with six people that used to be kings. Now they were all stripped of their glory and reduced to taking handouts. The old woman that helped Cunegonde was a wealthy princess at one time and also reduced down to slavery. Maybe Voltaire's use of this theme was to show how bad poverty was during his lifetime. He might have felt he could show people how poverty effects those that have to endure it. As Bell says, "After all, without evil, how could individuals exercise free choice" (Bell)?

===Immorality===

===Deism===

Deism is "an eighteenth century belief that God made the universe, but then left it to run on its own, rather like a watchmaker who makes a clock and then leaves it to run on its own." (Thompson) Deism was the religion of [[http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/Candide#Candide Candide]] and [[Voltaire]], who firmly believed there was significant just and cause to believe in "a necessary eternal supreme intelligent being....Although Voltaire did not think one could prove the existence of God, he thought the order and harmony of the universe strongly suggested that it had been created by a supreme intelligence, not by random events." (Ayer, 110)

As we all know the story of ''Candide'' is full of unordinary events and the existence of the mysterious land, El Dorado and its myth of being "a land of gold somwhere in Central or South America" (406) may suggest a positive outlook or reward for those who believed in God and shared their beliefs among others in a conforming sense. "God is rather like the Lord described by the [http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Dervish Dervish] (the 172 year old man, p.406) who sends a ship full of goods to another country, but doesn't worry about the condition of the mice in the hold. But the ship is in good condition, and the voyage has a purpose, to the Lord, if not to the mice." (Thompson)

"So, even if this world seems utterly mad, no suggestion exists that it lacks a final arbiter of order and sanity. Even the most pessimistic figure, [[http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/Candide#Martin Martin]], never denies God, espousing rather a philosophy according to which the Devil seems on level terms with Him." (Mason, 64)

==Characters==

===Candide===
A good natured fellow who is in love with Cunégonde. His love for Cunégonde gets him banned from The Baron of Thunder-Ten-Tronckh's castle, for stealing a mere kiss from his beloved crush. It is also important to remember that Candide is the Baron's illegitimate nephew. He seems to have a "black cloud" covering him wherever he goes. This is shown when he starts murdering his beloved's capturers, in order to save her. His choices are easily influenced and they lead him down a path of destruction and dispair wherever he goes.

=== Cunégonde ===
The young beautiful daughter of the baron. She is raped and tortured by the Bulgars, while witnessing her family's execution. She is traded may times as a slave. She is given an old slave woman, whom finally reunites her with Candide. While on their journey to South America and out of money, she becomes engaged to Don Fernando d'Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza, the governor of Buenos Aries. It seems that no matter how hard they try, she and Candide cannot seem to get together. However, in the end all the determination of Candide pays off when the two are finally reunited for good. She represents all of the trials and tribulations that women of that time were exposed to.

===Pangloss===
An optomistic philosopher in the Thunder-Ten-Tronckh's castle. He served as Candide and Cunegonde's childhood professor and later as Candide and Jacques' philosopher. His views on life are that everything that happens, whether it be good or bad, was meant to be. He proves his intellect to Candide by reasoning that "the bay of Lisbon had been formed expressly for this Anabaptist to drown in" after Jacques' death (384). Pangloss is finally hanged for his beliefs during a auto-da-fe.

===Jacques===
The good Anabaptist who rescued Candide from the “cruel and heartless treatment” inflicted by the black-coated man and his scandalous wife (381). He graciously took Candide home and gave him a bath, bread and beer, two florins, and a job. His charitable nature also moved him to take in Candide’s long-lost friend, Pangloss, and have him cured of the pox at his own expense. Two months later his good deeds cost him his life: Jacques drowned during a horrible tempest after aiding a merciless sailor.

Like [[http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/Candide#Martin Martin]], Jacques is pessimistic towards the behavior of the human race, but Martin believes that man is inherently cruel. Jacques' philosophy is as follows: "It must be, said he, that men have corrupted Nature, for they are not born wolves, yet that is what they have become" (383). In other words, mankind were not created with a predisposition to kill one another, to thrive on the misfortunes of others, or to just be cruel. However, over periods of time, that is what happened.

===The old woman===
She was born the daughter of Pope Urban the Tenth. She was the Princess of Palestrina until her ship was taken over by pirates. The old woman's life parallels that of Cunégonde in the way that they were both born into a life of privilege and eventually end up as slaves. Both being tortured and raped many times over and left for dead. The old woman, despite life's challanges, states, "I wanted to kill myself, but always I loved life more" (Voltaire 396). She seems real optimistic and seems to hang in there during the trials and tribulations of her life. These two women form a common bond, and the old woman finally reunites Candide and Cunégonde. She remains a servant until she is befriended by Candide and Cunégonde.

===Paquette===
She is the maidservant to the Baroness. She "caused these torments of hell" from which Pangloss is suffering (383).

===Cacambo===
He was brought from Cadiz to be Candide's valet. He is honest and speakes many different languages. He even saves Candide from Biglugs, and becomes a valued friend and confidant.

===Don Fernando d'Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza===

He is the arrogant governor of Buenos Aries. He is the normal stereotyped government official, "he address[es] everyone with the most aristocratic disdain, pointing his nose so loftily, raising his voice so mercilessly, lording it so splendidly, and assuming so arrogant a pose" (396). He finds Cunegonde to be "the most beautiful creature he ha[s] ever seen" (397). Despite Cunegonde and Candide being engaged the governor takes her in as his mistress and plans to marry her.

===Martin===
A scholar whom Candide meets while traveling. He is very intelligent, but has a pessimistic view of the world, perhaps due to unfortunate events in the course of his life. "Martin bends all perceptions of good into a system that makes evil (anxiety, boredom, etc.) the dominate force in the universe" (Campbell 113).

Martin is a direct counterpart to [[http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/Candide#Pangloss Pangloss]]. Pangloss sees the world as the best possible place, while Martin sees it as the exact opposite. Martin's philosophy is as follows: " Do you believe, said Martin, that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they could get them? Well, said Martin, if hawks have always had the same character, why do you suppose that men have changed?" (414). Thus, Martin believes that men have always been cruel and will always be cruel. Martin's pessimism also draws parallels to another character, [[http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/Candide#Jacques Jacques the Anabaptist]]. Jacques is also pessimistic, but unlike Martin, he believes that kindness goes a long way towards redemption for mankind.

===Don Issachar===
A wealthy, Jewish man known as the "most choleric Hebrew seen in Israel since the Babylonian captivity," who tries to win Cunegonde's love (389). He shares custody of Cunegonde with The Grand Inquisitor and is also killed by Candide.

===The Grand Inquistor===
The Grand Inquistor is in a high position with in the Catholic Church. He also shares Cunegonde with Don Issachar. The Inqusitor uses his position to initiate an auto de fate in an abusive manor. He threatens to use the auto de fate where individuals are burned to death against Don Issachar(389). This is a clear abuse of his power and position as an official of the church.

==Critical Perspectives==

=== Analysis of The Old Woman ===

The Old Woman is unique in that she is the only character to experience no change throughout the story. She comes into the story "immune to change," and is "an icon of what all will become by the end of the tale" ([http://web3.epnet.com/citation.asp?rds=1&sxp=1562&tb=1&_ug=sid+D859FE3A%2DD0BB%2D46D1%2D89B4%2D3BFF5AE2DBA3%40sessionmgr4+dbs+aph+cp+1+F533&_us=frn+1+hd+False+hs+True+cst+0%3B1+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+sl+0+dstb+KS+mh+1+ri+KAAACBXA00057061+6DAA&_uso=tg%5B0+%2D+db%5B0+%2Daph+hd+False+clv%5B2+%2DY+clv%5B1+%2DY+clv%5B0+%2DY+op%5B0+%2D+cli%5B2+%2DFR+cli%5B1+%2DRV+cli%5B0+%2DFT+st%5B0+%2DCandide+mdb%5B0+%2Dimh+09C5&fn=1&rn=1 Marsh]). It is the old woman who proves that only true effort and work will rebuild and regenerate these other characters who have suffered so much throughout the story ([http://web3.epnet.com/citation.asp?rds=1&sxp=1562&tb=1&_ug=sid+D859FE3A%2DD0BB%2D46D1%2D89B4%2D3BFF5AE2DBA3%40sessionmgr4+dbs+aph+cp+1+F533&_us=frn+1+hd+False+hs+True+cst+0%3B1+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+sl+0+dstb+KS+mh+1+ri+KAAACBXA00057061+6DAA&_uso=tg%5B0+%2D+db%5B0+%2Daph+hd+False+clv%5B2+%2DY+clv%5B1+%2DY+clv%5B0+%2DY+op%5B0+%2D+cli%5B2+%2DFR+cli%5B1+%2DRV+cli%5B0+%2DFT+st%5B0+%2DCandide+mdb%5B0+%2Dimh+09C5&fn=1&rn=1 Marsh]).

==Resources==
* [http://www.literature.org/authors/voltaire/candide/ Candide] — The full text
* [http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/candide/ SparkNotes]
* [http://humanities.uchicago.edu/homes/VSA/Candide/ Resources for study of Voltaire's Candide]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide Wikipedia entry]
* [http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/voltaire3.htm Voltaire]
* [http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmCandide01.asp PinkMonkey.com]
* [http://novaonline.nv.cc.va.us/eli/eng252/candidestudy.html#epic ''Candide'' and the Enlightenment: Study Guide]

==Works Cited==

* Beck, Ervin. [http://web32.epnet.com.ezproxy.maconstate.edu/citation.asp?tb=1&_ug=sid+24BFF23C%2DB2EB%2D4ED1%2D92E5%2DD8549766350E%40sessionmgr3+dbs+mzh+744B&_us=frn+1+hd+False+hs+False+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+sl+%2D1+dstb+KS+mh+1+ri+KAAACB3C00104454+B5AE&_usmtl=ftv+True+137E&_uso=hd+False+tg%5B0+%2D+st%5B0+%2DVoltaire+clv%5B0+%2DY+db%5B0+%2Dmzh+cli%5B0+%2DFT+op%5B0+%2D+58FF&bk=S&EBSCOContent=ZWJjY8bb43ePprdrtdvha6Gmr4GPqLGFn6i5faKWxpjDpeys0qetuNDf7XnU3u6%2B4wAA&rn=6&fn=1&db=aph&an=2336667&sm=&cf=1/ "Voltaire's Candide."] ''Explicator'', Summer 1999, 57(4): p203-04.

* Bell, Ian. "''Candide'': Overveiw." ''Reference Guide to World Literature'', 2nd ed. St.James Press, 1995.

* Campbell, John. ''The Book of Great Books''. New York: Metrobooks,1997.

* Gunnels, Claire & Bettye Sutton. [http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/voltaire3.htm kclibrary.edu.]Kingwood College Library. 1999. 13 Feb. 2006

* Marsh, Leonard. [http://web3.epnet.com/citation.asp?tb=1&_ug=sid+D859FE3A%2DD0BB%2D46D1%2D89B4%2D3BFF5AE2DBA3%40sessionmgr4+dbs+aph+cp+1+F533&_us=frn+1+hd+False+hs+True+cst+0%3B1+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+sl+0+dstb+KS+mh+1+ri+KAAACBXA00057061+6DAA&_uso=tg%5B0+%2D+db%5B0+%2Daph+hd+False+clv%5B2+%2DY+clv%5B1+%2DY+clv%5B0+%2DY+op%5B0+%2D+cli%5B2+%2DFR+cli%5B1+%2DRV+cli%5B0+%2DFT+st%5B0+%2DCandide+mdb%5B0+%2Dimh+09C5&fn=1&rn=1"Voltaire's Candide."] ''Explicator''. Spring 2004, Vol. 62 Issue 3, 144-146.

* TheBestNotes.com. [http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmCandide01.asp PinkMonkey.com.] 2003. 7 Feb. 2006

* Voltaire, Francois "Candide." ''The Norton Anthology of Western Literature'' Ed. Hugo, Howard, et al. 8th ed. New York: W W Norton & Company, 2005. 377-438.

* Thompson, Diane. [http://novaonline.nv.cc.va.us/eli/eng252/candidestudy.html#versions nvcc.edu.]Northern Virginia Community College. 1999. 14 Feb. 2006

* Ayer, Alfred Jules. ''Voltaire''. New York: Random House, 1986.

* Mason, Hadyn. ''European Masters: Voltaire''. London: Hutchinson, 1975.

[[Category:World Literature]]

Candide

2006-02-13T20:38:04Z

Mhewett: /* The Uselessness of Philosophical Speculation */

A [[satire]] by [[Voltaire]].

==Historical Context==
In the 18th century new ideas and philosophies were popping up everywhere. An intellectual movement in Europe known as as the Enlightment started to change the way man viewed his world. Also known as the age of reason, this was the road to understanding in which Voltaire lived. Isaac Newton introduced the idea that the universe was governed by setlaws that were also able to be discovered. This concept was detremental to the way people had prevously thought because it undermined the faith in a personal God. It was believed by many philosphers, such as Voltaire, that churches should not interfere with scientific research. By the end of the 1700's, the idea of self-government had changed in England and started a revolution in France and America. Europe moved from an rural farming economy to an industrial one. At the end of this century the world had changed dramatically as the advances in science, political democracy, and religious freedom swept away the last traces of the Middle Ages.

==Themes==
===The Folly of Optimism===
The Folly of Optimism is a recurring theme throughout the novel. By most definitions, optimism is a positive outlook on life and situations, assuming there are good times to come even in the darkest of hours. However, through this novel, optimism is at times not seen as a beneficial outlook. According to Candide himself, optimism "is a mania for saying things are well when one is in hell" (Voltaire 410). Optimism is seen as a slight sign of insanity, a trait that causes a person to constantly suffer in the mere hopes that troubled times will one day turn around.

The old woman is a prime example. Through all her hardships, all her torturous sufferings, she carried on; a glimmer of hope inside her that all hope is not lost. In telling her story, she talks of an optimistic outlook, of her own optimism; "A hundred times I wanted to kill myself, but I always loved life more. This ridiculous weakness is perhaps one of our worst instincts; is anything more stupid than choosing to carry a burden that really one wants to cast on the ground" (Voltaire 396).

Candide is another example. He went through some hardships as well. Candide says "The enormous riches which this rascal had stolen were sunk beside him in the sea, and nothing was saved but a sheep" (Voltaire 413). He was talking about the man who had robbed him of his possessions. He said very optimistic things about the fate of this man and the sheep that was his was saved.

Although their optimism is the main reason for their survival and ability to continue on through their sufferings, the characters view their optimism as one of the main causes for those sufferings they must go through.

The Folly is the belief that Candide is going to find Cunegonde like he first loved her. Even though this doesn't happen, that is where optimism comes into effect. With her breast fallen, Candide still took her to be his wife, what "Optimism", what a man (Voltaire 435).

===Is There Truely A Utopia===

===The Uselessness of Philosophical Speculation===
Throughout ''Candide'', three different philosophies are presented: optomism, pessimism, and skeptism. Pangloss is the character who embodies optomism. He states: " It is clear that things cannot be otherwise than they are, for since everything is made to serve and end, everything necessarliy serves the best end" (378). He also argues: "that there cannot possibly be an effect without a cause" meaning that everything in the world has a specific purpose and reason (378). Martin, however, is the total opposite of Pangloss. He only sees the worst of any situation due to the hardships he has faced. He has survived being robbed by his wife, beaten by his son, deserted by a daughter foolish enough to get kidnapped, and being fired from the modest job that provided his meager existance. At this point in his life, he has nothing to live for, and therefore, finds no joy in living. He states that "I have seen so many extraordinary things that nothing seems extraordinary anymore" (414). Cacambo is the skeptic. His belief is somewhere in between that of Pangloss and Martin: "That is, Cacambo embodies the notion that one cannot know whether or not ultimate reality can be proven by reason" (Beck). Cacambo has talents: " he had been choirboy, sacristan, sailor, monk, merchant, solider, and lackey" (398). These talents have furthered his knowledge, and he has learned through personal expriences to take a more realistic view on life. Candide is swayed by both extreme philosophies in the story. He lives by Pangloss' optimism and then takes Martin's pessismism for a try. However, " By the novel's end, Candide shares Voltaire's diest attitude that God abandoned the world after having created it, and that humans must cultivate their own garden" (Campbell 113).

===Greed===
One of the major themes in ''Candide'' is greed. In Candide’s world greed is like an infection that has spread almost everywhere. The only place untouched by greed is Eldorado. Almost everyone Candide meets is driven by the need to acquire wealth. These individuals are portrayed as evil people with no morals.

The merchant Vanderdendur steals Candide’s last two sheep that carry Candide’s jewels. Vanderdendur is one of many characters in the story that is portrayed as being truly evil. Before Candide meets Vanderdendur he meets a slave that was once owned by Vanderdendur. Vanderdendur has cut off this slave’s right hand and left leg and left him on the side of the road.

Candide and Pangloss met a sailor on Jacques’s ship. After a massive earthquake this sailor runs through the ruins looking for anything he can take. His only desire is to gain wealth. As with Vanderdendur this sailor is also shown as being evil beforehand. On Jacques’s ship this sailor attacks Jacques. The violent movements of the ship knock the sailor overboard. Jacques helps the sailor back up. Jacques then falls over the side. The sailor does nothing to help Jacques. He watches as Jacques drowns.

The only place that the disease of greed does not touch is Eldorado. Eldorado is a mythical city filled with gold and jewels. Everyone seeks Eldorado but very few reach it. Greed does not exist there because the gold and jewels have no value. There is so much of the gold that the inhabitants see them as pebbles on the ground. The people of Eldorado live peaceful lives. They are not greedy so they have no need to make war upon each other.

===The Hypocrisy of Religion===
The hypocrisy of religion is something that is very cleverly used in the works of Candide. Voltaire uses satire throughout the novel with the characters who are considered to be very religious men, who are actually doing the complete opposite of what is considered to be religious and moral. Cunegonde is held as a prisoner of war and is bought and sold by men of religious beliefs. “Finally my Jew, fearing for his life, struck a bargain by which the house and I would belong to both of them as joint tenants; the Jew would get Mondays, Wednesdays, and the Sabbath, the inquisitor would get the other days of the week” (388).

Auto-da-fe, or an act of faith, are used to scare people. In this novel, the Grand Inquisitor uses this tool to ensure that he gets to have Cunegonde for himself as well. “The inquisitor threatened him with an auto-da-fe”(388).

It is the characters who hold no place in society who are admired and sympathized with by Voltaire in the novel. It is “a man who had never been baptized, a good Anabaptist named Jacques” who is the man who does the right thing in this novel (380). He sees Candide as someone who needs help, so he offers everything that is at his disposal. It seems as if religion is used a political strategy by the people higher up in society, but it is used as a way of life by the smaller men.

===Sexual Exploitation===

===Resurection===

All throughout ''Candide'' we see characters being "resurrected". For example, Cunegonde's brother, the Jesuit Baron, is resurrected at the end of the story and also Master Pangloss. Both of these men had supposably been killed earlier on in the story but show up in the end. Candide was to have killed the baron with his sword when he slit his chest open. Pangloss was to have been hung and then burned, but got rescued from the actual burning. The rope that was around his neck was not tight enough, therefore he was still breathing. Also, Candide was badly beat but survived and was nursed back to health. The entire story is really an example of resurrection because everyone was seperated at some point, but all of the main characters end up reunited back together.

===The Evil of Poverty===

In the story ''Candide'' almost everyone in the story is or at once in the clutches of poverty. This seems to be a vice that no one can escape. At one point in the story Candide has supper with six people that used to be kings. Now they were all stripped of their glory and reduced to taking handouts. The old woman that helped Cunegonde was a wealthy princess at one time and also reduced down to slavery. Maybe Voltaire's use of this theme was to show how bad poverty was during his lifetime. He might have felt he could show people how poverty effects those that have to endure it. As Bell says, "After all, without evil, how could individuals exercise free choice" (Bell)?

===Immorality===

==Characters==

===Candide===
A good natured fellow who is in love with Cunégonde. His love for Cunégonde gets him banned from The Baron of Thunder-Ten-Tronckh's castle, for stealing a mere kiss from his beloved crush. It is also important to remember that Candide is the Baron's illegitimate nephew. He seems to have a "black cloud" covering him wherever he goes. This is shown when he starts murdering his beloved's capturers, in order to save her. His choices are easily influenced and they lead him down a path of destruction and dispair wherever he goes.

=== Cunégonde ===
The young beautiful daughter of the baron. She is raped and tortured by the Bulgars, while witnessing her family's execution. She is traded may times as a slave. She is given an old slave woman, whom finally reunites her with Candide. While on their journey to South America and out of money, she becomes engaged to Don Fernando d'Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza, the governor of Buenos Aries. It seems that no matter how hard they try, she and Candide cannot seem to get together. However, in the end all the determination of Candide pays off when the two are finally reunited for good.

===Pangloss===
An optomistic philosopher in the Thunder-Ten-Tronckh's castle. He served as Candide and Cunegonde's childhood professor and later as Candide and Jacques' philosopher. His views on life are that everything that happens, whether it be good or bad, was meant to be. He proves his intellect to Candide by reasoning that "the bay of Lisbon had been formed expressly for this Anabaptist to drown in" after Jacques' death (384). Pangloss is finally hanged for his beliefs during a auto-da-fe.

===Jacques===
The good Anabaptist who rescued Candide from the “cruel and heartless treatment” inflicted by the black-coated man and his scandalous wife (381). He graciously took Candide home and gave him a bath, bread and beer, two florins, and a job. His charitable nature also moved him to take in Candide’s long-lost friend, Pangloss, and have him cured of the pox at his own expense. Two months later his good deeds cost him his life: Jacques drowned during a horrible tempest after aiding a merciless sailor.

Like [[http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/Candide#Martin Martin]], Jacques is pessimistic towards the behavior of the human race, but Martin believes that man is inherently cruel. Jacques' philosophy is as follows: "It must be, said he, that men have corrupted Nature, for they are not born wolves, yet that is what they have become" (383). In other words, mankind were not created with a predisposition to kill one another, to thrive on the misfortunes of others, or to just be cruel. However, over periods of time, that is what happened.

===The old woman===
She was born the daughter of Pope Urban the Tenth. She was the Princess of Palestrina until her ship was taken over by pirates. The old woman's life parallels that of Cunégonde in the way that they were both born into a life of privilege and eventually end up as slaves. Both being tortured and raped many times over and left for dead. The old woman, despite life's challanges, states, "I wanted to kill myself, but always I loved life more" (Voltaire 396). She seems real optimistic and seems to hang in there during the trials and tribulations of her life. These two women form a common bond, and the old woman finally reunites Candide and Cunégonde. She remains a servant until she is befriended by Candide and Cunégonde.

===Paquette===
She is the maidservant to the Baroness. She "caused these torments of hell" from which Pangloss is suffering (383).

===Cacambo===
He was brought from Cadiz to be Candide's valet. He is honest and speakes many different languages. He even saves Candide from Biglugs, and becomes a valued friend and confidant.

===Don Fernando d'Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza===

He is the arrogant governor of Buenos Aries. He is the normal stereotyped government official, "he address[es] everyone with the most aristocratic disdain, pointing his nose so loftily, raising his voice so mercilessly, lording it so splendidly, and assuming so arrogant a pose" (396). He finds Cunegonde to be "the most beautiful creature he ha[s] ever seen" (397). Despite Cunegonde and Candide being engaged the governor takes her in as his mistress and plans to marry her.

===Martin===
A scholar whom Candide meets while traveling. He is very intelligent, but has a pessimistic view of the world, perhaps due to unfortunate events in the course of his life. "Martin bends all perceptions of good into a system that makes evil (anxiety, boredom, etc.) the dominate force in the universe" (Campbell 113).

Martin is a direct counterpart to [[http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/Candide#Pangloss Pangloss]]. Pangloss sees the world as the best possible place, while Martin sees it as the exact opposite. Martin's philosophy is as follows: " Do you believe, said Martin, that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they could get them? Well, said Martin, if hawks have always had the same character, why do you suppose that men have changed?" (414). Thus, Martin believes that men have always been cruel and will always be cruel. Martin's pessimism also draws parallels to another character, [[http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/Candide#Jacques Jacques the Anabaptist]]. Jacques is also pessimistic, but unlike Martin, he believes that kindness goes a long way towards redemption for mankind.

===Don Issachar===
A wealthy, Jewish man known as the "most choleric Hebrew seen in Israel since the Babylonian captivity," who tries to win Cunegonde's love (389). He shares custody of Cunegonde with The Grand Inquisitor and is also killed by Candide.

===The Grand Inquistor===
The Grand Inquistor is in a high position with in the Catholic Church. He also shares Cunegonde with Don Issachar. The Inqusitor uses his position to initiate an auto de fate in an abusive manor. He threatens to use the auto de fate where individuals are burned to death against Don Issachar(389). This is a clear abuse of his power and position as an official of the church.

==Critical Perspectives==

=== Analysis of The Old Woman ===

The Old Woman is unique in that she is the only character to experience no change throughout the story. She comes into the story "immune to change," and is "an icon of what all will become by the end of the tale" ([http://web3.epnet.com/citation.asp?rds=1&sxp=1562&tb=1&_ug=sid+D859FE3A%2DD0BB%2D46D1%2D89B4%2D3BFF5AE2DBA3%40sessionmgr4+dbs+aph+cp+1+F533&_us=frn+1+hd+False+hs+True+cst+0%3B1+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+sl+0+dstb+KS+mh+1+ri+KAAACBXA00057061+6DAA&_uso=tg%5B0+%2D+db%5B0+%2Daph+hd+False+clv%5B2+%2DY+clv%5B1+%2DY+clv%5B0+%2DY+op%5B0+%2D+cli%5B2+%2DFR+cli%5B1+%2DRV+cli%5B0+%2DFT+st%5B0+%2DCandide+mdb%5B0+%2Dimh+09C5&fn=1&rn=1 Marsh]). It is the old woman who proves that only true effort and work will rebuild and regenerate these other characters who have suffered so much throughout the story ([http://web3.epnet.com/citation.asp?rds=1&sxp=1562&tb=1&_ug=sid+D859FE3A%2DD0BB%2D46D1%2D89B4%2D3BFF5AE2DBA3%40sessionmgr4+dbs+aph+cp+1+F533&_us=frn+1+hd+False+hs+True+cst+0%3B1+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+sl+0+dstb+KS+mh+1+ri+KAAACBXA00057061+6DAA&_uso=tg%5B0+%2D+db%5B0+%2Daph+hd+False+clv%5B2+%2DY+clv%5B1+%2DY+clv%5B0+%2DY+op%5B0+%2D+cli%5B2+%2DFR+cli%5B1+%2DRV+cli%5B0+%2DFT+st%5B0+%2DCandide+mdb%5B0+%2Dimh+09C5&fn=1&rn=1 Marsh]).

==Resources==
* [http://www.literature.org/authors/voltaire/candide/ Candide] — The full text
* [http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/candide/ SparkNotes]
* [http://humanities.uchicago.edu/homes/VSA/Candide/ Resources for study of Voltaire's Candide]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide Wikipedia entry]
* [http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/voltaire3.htm Voltaire]
* [http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmCandide01.asp PinkMonkey.com]

==Works Cited==

* Beck, Ervin. [http://web32.epnet.com.ezproxy.maconstate.edu/citation.asp?tb=1&_ug=sid+24BFF23C%2DB2EB%2D4ED1%2D92E5%2DD8549766350E%40sessionmgr3+dbs+mzh+744B&_us=frn+1+hd+False+hs+False+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+sl+%2D1+dstb+KS+mh+1+ri+KAAACB3C00104454+B5AE&_usmtl=ftv+True+137E&_uso=hd+False+tg%5B0+%2D+st%5B0+%2DVoltaire+clv%5B0+%2DY+db%5B0+%2Dmzh+cli%5B0+%2DFT+op%5B0+%2D+58FF&bk=S&EBSCOContent=ZWJjY8bb43ePprdrtdvha6Gmr4GPqLGFn6i5faKWxpjDpeys0qetuNDf7XnU3u6%2B4wAA&rn=6&fn=1&db=aph&an=2336667&sm=&cf=1/ "Voltaire's Candide."] ''Explicator'', Summer 1999, 57(4): p203-04.

* Bell, Ian. "''Candide'': Overveiw." ''Reference Guide to World Literature'', 2nd ed. St.James Press, 1995.

* Campbell, John. ''The Book of Great Books''. New York: Metrobooks,1997.

* Marsh, Leonard. [http://web3.epnet.com/citation.asp?tb=1&_ug=sid+D859FE3A%2DD0BB%2D46D1%2D89B4%2D3BFF5AE2DBA3%40sessionmgr4+dbs+aph+cp+1+F533&_us=frn+1+hd+False+hs+True+cst+0%3B1+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+sl+0+dstb+KS+mh+1+ri+KAAACBXA00057061+6DAA&_uso=tg%5B0+%2D+db%5B0+%2Daph+hd+False+clv%5B2+%2DY+clv%5B1+%2DY+clv%5B0+%2DY+op%5B0+%2D+cli%5B2+%2DFR+cli%5B1+%2DRV+cli%5B0+%2DFT+st%5B0+%2DCandide+mdb%5B0+%2Dimh+09C5&fn=1&rn=1"Voltaire's Candide."] ''Explicator''. Spring 2004, Vol. 62 Issue 3, 144-146.

* TheBestNotes.com. [http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmCandide01.asp PinkMonkey.com.] 2003. 7 Feb. 2006

* Voltaire, Francois "Candide." ''The Norton Anthology of Western Literature'' Ed. Hugo, Howard, et al. 8th ed. New York: W W Norton & Company, 2005. 377-438.

[[Category:World Literature]]

Candide

2006-02-10T02:45:57Z

Mhewett: /* The Uselessness of Philosophical Speculation */

Candide

2006-02-10T02:37:40Z

Mhewett: /* The Uselessness of Philosophical Speculation */

Candide

2006-02-07T20:07:56Z

Mhewett: /* Works Cited */

A [[satire]] by [[Voltaire]].

==Historical Context==
According to http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/voltaire3.htm, this is the historical background on Candide. The eighteenth century was a time of new ideas and perspectives. The European intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment changed the way man viewed his world. Reason, not spirituality or intuition, was the road to understanding the world in which he lived. Isaac Newton introduced the notion that the universe was governed by set and discoverable laws. This concept undermined the faith in a personal God. Tolerance of varying religious beliefs was advocated by philosophers such as Voltaire. Churches should not interfere with scientific research. In politics the authoritarian state as exemplified by such absolute monarchs as Louis IV of France came into disrepute. By the end of the 1700's the idea of self-government had resulted in reform in England and revolution in France and America. Europe moved from an agrarian economy to an industrial one. At the close of this century the world had changed dramatically as the advances in science, political democracy, and religious freedom swept away the last vestiges of the Middle Ages. Now the belief that human history was a record of general progress and that the condition of mankind would only get better with each succeeding generation fostered a halo of optimism.

==Themes==
According to http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/voltaire3.htm, these are some of the themes to consider. Comic invention; loyalty; utopia; satire; war as play; treatment of garden; evil; religion; optimism.

==Characters==

===Candide===
A good natured fellow who is in love with Cunégonde. His love for Cunégonde gets him banned from The Baron of Thunder-Ten-Tronckh's castle, for stealing a mere kiss from his beloved crush. It is also important to remember that Candide is the Baron's illegitimate nephew. He seems to have a "black cloud" covering him wherever he goes. This is shown when he starts murdering his beloved's capturers, in order to save her. His choices are easily influenced and they lead him down a path of destruction and dispair wherever he goes.

=== Cunégonde ===
The young beautiful daughter of the baron. She is raped and tortured by the Bulgars, while witnessing her family's execution. She is traded may times as a slave. She is given an old slave woman, whom finally reunites her with Candide. While on their journey to South America and out of money, she becomes engaged to the governor of Buenos Aries. It seems that no matter how hard they try, she and Candide cannot seem to get together.

===Pangloss===
An optomistic philosopher in the Thunder-Ten-Tronckh's castle. He is Candide and Cunegonde's professor. After the castle tragedy, Candide meets up with him begging on the street. He is weak and sick from sypilis. He is taken in by the Anabaptist, Jacques. In return for medical treatment the Anabaptist makes him the bookkeeper for his business. Pangloss is finally hung for his beliefs.

===Jacques===
The good Anabaptist who rescued Candide from the “cruel and heartless treatment” inflicted by the black-coated man and his scandalous wife (381). He graciously took Candide home and gave him a bath, bread and beer, two florins, and a job. His charitable nature also moved him to take in Candide’s long-lost friend, Pangloss, and have him cured of the pox at his own expense. Two months later his good deeds cost him his life: Jacques drowned during a horrible tempest after aiding a merciless sailor.

===The old woman===
She was born the daughter of Pope Urban the Tenth. She was the Princess of Palestrina until her ship was taken over by pirates. The old woman's life parallels that of Cunégonde in the way that they were both born into a life of priviledge and evently end up as slaves. Both being tortured and raped many times over and left for dead. These two women form a common bond, and the old woman finally reunites Candide and Cunégonde. She remains a servant until she is befriended by Candide and Cunégonde.

===Paquette===
She is the maidservant to the Baroness. She "caused these torments of hell" from which Pangloss is suffering (383).

===Cacambo===
He was brought from Cadiz to be Candide's valet. He is honest and speakes many different languages. He even saves Candide from Biglugs, and becomes a valued friend and confidant.

===Don Fernando d'Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza===

The arrogant governor of Buenos Aries. He finds Cunegonde attractive. Despite Cunegonde and Candide being engaged the governor takes her in as his mistress and plans to marry her.

===Martin===
A scholar whom Candide meets while traveling. He is very intelligent, but has a pessimistic view of the world. "Martin bends all perceptions of good into a system that makes evil (anxiety, boredom, ect.)the dominate force in the universe" (Campbell 113).

===Don Issachar===
A wealthy, Jewish man who tries to win the affection of Cunegonde. He shares this fight for affection with The Grand Inquisitor.

==Critical Perspectives==

==Resources==
* [http://www.literature.org/authors/voltaire/candide/ Candide] — The full text
* [http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/candide/ SparkNotes]
* [http://humanities.uchicago.edu/homes/VSA/Candide/ Resources for study of Voltaire's Candide]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide Wikipedia entry]
* [http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/voltaire3.htm]

==Works Cited==

[[Category:World Literature]]
Campbell, John. ''The Book of Great Books''. New York: Metrobooks,1997.

Candide

2006-02-07T20:07:39Z

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Candide

2006-02-07T20:01:33Z

Mhewett: /* Martin */

Tartuffe

2006-01-29T05:59:41Z

Mhewett: /* Characters */

==Background==
''''Tartuffe'''' was written during a time when the word of the Church was the word of law. Typically, the Church was very corrupt.

==Themes==
Tartuffe offers many themes for one to explore among them are, the dangers of a heirarchy within a family, religious piety and how it can be exploited, and hypocrisy and its effects on the public's view of religion.

==Characters==
*'''Tartuffe'''
**The main antagonist of the play, his role as the hypocrite is concealed until very early on, though suspicion arises during the beginning of the play.

*'''Orgon'''
**Could be considered the protagonist, he has been utterly confused into believing that Tartuffe is a saint of some kind.

*'''Cléante'''
**Insert Character explanation here....
*'''Dorine'''
**The lady's maid of Mariane , very "out of place" constantly interjecting with her opinion and very talkative, not the typical personality for a lady's maid.
*'''Mariane'''
** Daughter of Orgon, engaged to Valére, is the subject of controversy when Orgon decides that she is to marry Tartuffe
*'''Elmire'''
**Is ultimately the one who brings out Tartuffe's corruptions by flirting with him with Orgon in concealed presence.
*'''Valére'''
**Engaged to Mariane
*'''Madame Pernelle'''
**"Lady of the House", basically an old grandma who is jealous of the youth of her house and their vivacity.

==Critical Perspectives==

==Additional Resources==
* [[Tartuffe Summary]]

[[Category:World Literature]]