I laughed when they told me that a French philosopher would be one of the funniest and most moving writers in all of literature. Well, as they say, I'm not laughing now.
One of Candide's most memorable moments comes when Candide and Martin encounter Pococurante, the tetchy Venetian nobleman with his vast library of classical works. His casually disdainful dismissal of the world’s greatest books, including that of Milton's much lauded Paradise Lost is just brilliant. Pococurante takes no joy in these masterpieces—suggesting that even the finest works mean nothing without genuine appreciation. Is he a refined critic or simply jaded?
Voltaire leaves us to decide, and this literary t-shirt celebrates his playful jab at pretension.