James K. Lowers

I read this brushing up on my favorite school book which I read several times while it was required reading. I had always intended to return to it as I have a copy on my shelves. I just haven't gotten to it yet. So instead I read Cliff's Notes on it. It was an easy read taking only a couple of hours and was informative on Voltaire's prior works that influenced Candide and the style of the story. Some of these points I did recognize from way back in high school English. Note that there is a show more sentence maybe two that come off as a little insensitive when discussing the Jewish bankers that victimized both Voltaire (in life) and Candide in the story. I do recommend this book if you need a study guide to go along with Candide. I realize that Cliff's Notes for the most part are a "safe" choice when it comes to supplemental (and refresh) reading. show less

This is a useful companion to Candide. While true scholars of Candide would rightly lament the superficial treatment of the work, the truth is that for many, the Cliffs Notes key is as close to any real grasp of the book as they are likely ever to obtain. In addition, this guide can help readers of the tough, or obscure elements that are essential to the topical refferences.

Spurred by the empty philosophy of those who argued that everything happend for the best, Voltaire presents the tale of show more Candide, a young man to whom clearly a great many things happened that were not for the best. Voltaire used his open-ended, episodic style to showcase vignettes of calamity and loss in which Candide dutifully, and blindly adheres the the philophy of his instructor, Dr. Pangloss who assures him that everything will work out for the best. Voltaire satirizes optimistic philosophy, as well as the materialistic foibles of mankind. show less

I find this a valuable guide to have around as I grade essays on by students. These days, the internet is a more useful tool for searching for plagiarism but good old cliffs notes are still useful. As for the book's real use, it is a good means of interpreting and studing the novel. I always find these notes helpful for checking and verifying my own understanding as for a guick summary. They should never be used as a substitute for the actual book.

I find this a valuable guide to have around as I grade essays on by students. These days, the internet is a more useful tool for searching for plagiarism but good old cliffs notes are still useful. As for the book's real use, it is a good means of interpreting and studing the novel. I always find these notes helpful for checking and verifying my own understanding as for a guick summary. They should never be used as a substitute for the actual book.