Which Famous Authors Does Pococurante Criticize in Voltaire’s Candide?
Which Famous Authors Does Pococurante Criticize in Voltaire’s Candide?
One of the most memorable and disarming comedic figures in Voltaire's famous novel, Candide, is the character of Pococurante. His criticisms of numerous authors, including Homer, Milton, Horace, Virgil, and Cicero, are particularly unsettling to the novel's protagonist Candide. Through Pococurante, Voltaire offers a scathing critique of philosophical optimism and literary pretentiousness, making him a central figure in the ongoing debate about the values and flaws within Enlightenment literature. This article delves into the specific criticisms Pococurante makes and their context within the novel, exploring the philosophical underpinnings of Voltaire's satire and the role of Leibniz in his critique.
Introduction to Pococurante
Pococurante, a renowned cynic in Voltaire’s satirical work, stands out among the various characters in Candide through his relentless scrutiny and criticism of prominent literary and philosophical works. He lambasts a host of renowned authors, including Homer, Milton, Horace, Virgil, and Cicero. His criticisms of each of these figures are particularly pointed and cause significant distress to the naive and optimistic Candide. This essay explores the nature of Pococurante's critique, the context in which it is set, and the broader implications of such criticism within the framework of the Enlightenment era.
The Targets of Pococurante's Criticism
Homer is the first major literary figure to receive a harsh critique from Pococurante. In Candide, Pococurante lambasts Homer's works, specifically his epic poems such as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Pococurante argues that these poems, although widely revered, are riddled with inconsistencies, moral ambiguities, and unrealistic events that do not reflect real life. By portraying these elements, Pococurante satirizes the idea that epic poetry is a perfect reflection of society or truth.
Milton is another target of Pococurante's criticism, particularly in reference to his work Paradise Lost. Pococurante dismisses Milton’s epic for its grandiose and often ethereal narrative style, suggesting that it lacks the grounded realism necessary for meaningful literary works. Furthermore, Pococurante accuses Milton of having a tendency to overcomplicate simple moral truths, leading to a narrative that is overly complex and detached from reality.
Horace, the Roman poet celebrated for his Odes and Satires, is also subjected to Pococurante's mockery. Pococurante criticizes Horace's supposed pretentiousness and superficiality, undermining the traditional views of his poetry as refined and noble. He argues that Horace's work is too focused on the trivial and the aesthetic, lacking the deeper thematic and moral insights necessary for genuine literature.
Virgil, the author of the Aeneid, is criticized by Pococurante for his portrayal of the Roman Empire and its gods. Pococurante believes that Virgil's depictions are overly nationalistic and serve to glorify the past, rather than offering any meaningful commentary on human nature or society. His criticisms highlight the perceived flaws in Virgil’s epic narrative, which Pococurante contends are more concerned with propaganda than with literary merit.
Cicero is another historical figure criticized by Pococurante for his oratory and philosophical works. Pococurante argues that Cicero's writings lack originality and are often mere rehashing of existing ideas. He suggests that Cicero's speeches and letters are overly formal and lacking in passion, which Pococurante views as a significant flaw in the entertainer's work.
The Philosophical Implications of Pococurante's Criticism
Voltaire, through Pococurante, is using Candide to satirize the Enlightenment philosopher Leibniz. Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz is known for his philosophical optimism, which asserts that this is the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire employed Pococurante as a mouthpiece to show how absurd he thought this idea was. By lambasting Homer and other prominent authors, Pococurante's criticisms serve as a counterpoint to Leibniz’s optimism, revealing the inherent absurdities and contradictions of such an approach.
The novel Candide, through its characters and plot, aspires to critique and challenge the notion of philosophical optimism by highlighting the harsh realities of human existence. The critiques of Homer, Milton, Horace, Virgil, and Cicero serve as a rhetorical tool to demonstrate that the literary and philosophical works often fail to live up to their own lofty ideals. Pococurante's skepticism and mockery suggest that the idealized world of these works is a far cry from the gritty, often irrational, and chaotic world in which human beings actually live.
The Role of Leibniz in Voltaire’s Critique
In analyzing the critiques, it is crucial to understand the role of Leibniz in Voltaire's Candide. Voltaire, a fervent critic of Leibniz's optimism, uses the character of Pococurante to express skepticism towards Enlightenment thinking and philosophical bases. Leibniz's optimism posits that the universe is the best possible one, which Voltaire satirizes through Pococurante's critique of various literary works.
Leibniz's philosophy, although influential, is often viewed as excessively optimistic and unrealistic. Pococurante's criticisms of Homer, Milton, and other classical authors serve as a scathing commentary on the rationalization of human suffering, a theme that is central to Leibniz's optimism. By lambasting these authors, Pococurante underscores the absurdity of the notion that literature and philosophy should provide comfort and optimism in the face of human suffering.
Voltaire, through Pococurante, thereby presents a worldview that is more grounded in reality and less idealistic. Pococurante's criticisms reflect the disillusionment and cynicism that many intellectuals of the Enlightenment era felt towards the absolute and rationalist ideals that Leibniz espoused. By using Pococurante's critique as a lens, Voltaire offers a more nuanced and realistic perspective on human nature and society, one that acknowledges the inherent flaws and complexities that are often overlooked by philosophical optimism.
Conclusion
The criticisms levied by Pococurante in Voltaire's Candide against Homer, Milton, Horace, Virgil, and Cicero serve to underscore the themes of skepticism, realism, and the critique of philosophical optimism. Through the character of Pococurante, Voltaire offers a scathing critique of works that he believes fail to reflect the harsh realities of human existence. This exploration of Pococurante's critiques not only provides a deeper understanding of the novel's satire but also highlights the broader philosophical and literary debates that were prominent during the Enlightenment era.