Episode 537 - Candide - Part 4

I read the last line of Candide a little differently than you did. You seemed to take "we must cultivate our garden" as a non-sequitur, changing the subject to dismiss what Pangloss was saying, but to me, it's a direct response. Pangloss was arguing that this tranquility they found was preordained, a fated end that could only be reached by passing through the trials that came before, thus supporting his 'best of all possible worlds' argument. A happy ending must be preordained, because if there's no happy ending, how can it be the best possible world? But that denies Candide his agency; it says there was never really any other path than what they did. To that, Candide's response seems more like a denial -- we must tend our garden. You have to find something that makes you happy and then work on that thing. The garden wasn't a fated outcome, but the result of personal effort.

Darth Pseudonym

I feel that, with the shuddering revelation of the Draculas, we finally move from Voltaire to Vol-terror! That was truly the best of all possible segues.

Peter Larsen

Yes it is, after a fashion.

I think books translated from French just tend to be overly wordy or something. I was surprised starting into The Three Musketeers just how much of a slog it was at times, considering it's a swashbuckling adventure.

Is the 'this is fine' dog the modern equivalent of Pangloss? You could have him sat in the burning room saying, "This is the best of all worlds!"

Nope, not a fan. I find these pre-1800’s books (even when I’m reading via the boys) just way to much of a slog. Maybe if I didn’t have to read these in school. But thanks for covering it. But I’m really glad I found the podcast in 2020 making tough times more bearable.

Andrew Brown

I have loved y'all's coverage of Candide! I'm very excited that you're broadening the scope of material covered on the podcast. Please consider covering Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon or Paradise. Both have elements of the weird, and the sadly deceased Ms. Morrison is considered by scholars to be one of the best American authors of the 20th century.

This novel reminded me of Naked Lunch in that the main character is kind of wandering through a series of vignettes which are connected by a fever dream. I read both when I was too young to really appreciate them and came away thinking maybe Voltaire was a heroin addict.

Dr. Mctock

It's always darkest before you get used to it just being dark is 100 percent my mood moving from 2020 to 2021. I've never read this before and get a bit intimidated by older stories in fear of not being able to find them as accessible, but this was great. This episode and its discussion of pleasure and enthusiasm is so relevant to discussions out there today. I get so exhausted by articles and tweets that just crap on things all the time, especially if they don't live up to some idea that was formed in the mind of the critic.

Thanks for the shoutout on the episode that wraps up one of my favorite short stories. You guys are the best!

An extremely enjoyable series. I'm looking forward to March and the proper Romanian pronunciation of Dracula.

Steve

My preferred translation of "Il faut cultiver son jardin" is "one should tend one's lot". It captures more of the ambiguity present in the French (and possibly introduces a little bit more).

Steve

Minty Snipes gets my vote. I do like that Voltaire's commentary on enjoying your own tastes runs up against the misery that this imposes on Paquette. So up to a point, the point being, don't let your tastes injure anyone else. It's very civil society.

Steve

I can't help but think that the last line "we need to cultivate our garden" is Candide saying "That's bullshit" (manure being commonly used to fertilize gardens).

And I guess you have done the internet research. My only authority is to have studied the text at school, in France, in French.

Steve

Oh you guys! I'm proper cheered.

Steve

So glad to have taken the journey with you, gents. You mentioned Professor Pangloss' assertion that their present state justifies all the ills that have befallen them because they could not be where they are now if not for all that they went through. I like to think this is Voltaire having one last go at a bad idea while also pointing at the best way to deal with those who cling to it: let them cling. If it helps the survivor or trauma to believe that the trauma was ultimately to their good, there's little to be gained by gainsaying them. On the other hand, it's pretty plain that there are many roads to the same destination and not all are traumatic. So, please, don't put yourself through trauma because you think that's the only way to reach a goal.