Candide is the story of a thoughtful man who, though pummeled by fate, holds to his belief that he lives "in the best of all possible worlds." On the surface, it appears to be a simple story, but all manner of wit, irony, and inference lurk underneath.

Zadig is a philosophical tale that first appeared in 1747 under the title of Memnon, Histoire Orientale. Zadig, a young man well endowed by nature and possessor of a fine education, is puzzled by the uncertainties of his destiny. He rises to the highest office but is unsuccessful in his ventures into love. Despite his wisdom and moderation, he meets with a number of misfortunes, coming close to being strangled in Babylon, roasted alive in Basra, implaled by bonzes in Serendip, and is actually enslaved in Egypt. The fierce comtempt with which Voltaire derided the bureaucracies of his day and his gift for creating exotic panoramas are clearly demonstrated in this satirical story.