Pictured:

First Edition
of Candide,
The Title Page

         So, you may wonder who M. le Dr. Ralph is..... Voltaire, afraid of censorship or personal attacks, published this under the name of a translator Dr. Ralph. Another pseudonym he used was the English name, Dr. Demad. Yes, a pun. And a disguise. Voltaire was not about to be martyred for the cause!

     VOLTAIRE (aka François Marie Arouet, aka Dr. Demad, aka M. Ralph 1694-1778) was a literary critic, wit, humanitarian, skeptic, novelist, intellectual, political scientist, poet, philosophe and published Candide, as in the picture, in MDXXLIX. The book's form might be expressed as a comic critique, social satire, cosmic quip, parodying parable of politics, fantasy of fictional philosophy. Supply a few of your own -- this could be fun.

    There are many interesting lines of inquiry with this book. We will explore some of these in our class discussion on Candide (particularly #1), and each of us will be invited to this 'Party of the Mind' --

1. Chapter-Titles:  What does Voltaire attack, precisely, in each chapter? How? Implying, what did he favor or promote? Given the above, what Chapter-Title would you give to each chapter, reflecting a bit of fun you are having in the reading?

2. Answers:  The sub-title suggests that the story is Didactic:
   • What Lesson(s) does it offer, and how is that Teaching offered?
   • What does this Lesson teach us to stay away from?
   • What ultimate answer does Candide teach or offer to readers?

• Enlightenment:  How/where does Candide fit the contexts of rationalism, toleration, Natural Law, individualism, confidence in humanity's achievements and progress? How/where does Candide critique Enlightenement ideals?

• For Fun in the Future: Most scholars seem Voltaire as hatching the egg that would grow into the French Revolution Raptor (hungry hawk having heggs) -- where do you see this in the book? What contra-indications?