Throughout the first chapter of Candide, Voltaire – the author of the book- introduces a series a of characters with ridiculous names and words that have cunning titles. As absurd as they might sound, Voltaire purposely chose such words. In the chapter, Cunegonde stumbles upon Pongloss and a maid doing experimental physics. Instead of writing sexual intercourse, Voltaire substitutes the word with experimental physics in order to give the reader an indirect idea of what was going on. Because Cunegonde witnessed such an action, the idea of trying it out with Candide emerged in her head. This is where the meaning of her name comes into play. In French, Cunegonde means “brave, war”. Therefore, we can deduce that Cunegonde’s name was chosen because of her bold decision. In contrast to her name, Candide’s name comes from a Latin term meaning “pure” and “innocent”, giving off a vibe of ignorance to Cunegonde’s motives and the world in general. Voltaire’s motives for choosing this particular name may be to portray the true reality of the worlds cruelness. After Cunegonde initiates her plan, it is not too long before Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh catches them between the act and out of anger, sentences Candide to exile. Although there is no definite meaning behind Thunder-ten-tronckh, one assumption why Voltaire might have chosen these words would be to poke fun at the names of people who were considered to be at a higher level than the regular norms. If one breaks down the words, thunder can signify power and fear, ten can be identified as a high number if talking scale-wise, and tronckh, a form of gibberish. Near the beginning of Chapter one, Master Pongloss teaches Candide the science of metaphysico-theologo-cosmolonigology, the science of cause and effect. Pongloss states, ”The nose is formed for spectacles, therefore we wear spectacles.” Voltaire used such a ridiculous title as the science term in order to poke fun at philosophers belief. When stating that noses are formed for spectacles, he is referring it in a way that shows how ridiculous ones belief may seem to others.
http://ontheroad29.wikispaces.com/Importance+of+names+in+Candide
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=metaphysico-theologo-cosmolonigology
Honors Humanities Online Classroom 