THE CANDID MOOMINTROLL LEARNS ABOUT LIFE. INTERTEXTUAL RELATIONS BETWEEN MOOMIN AND VOLTAIRE’S CANDIDE

SUMMARY

In Tove Jansson’s second Moomin book, Comet in Moominland (1946), we encounter a self-appointed Philosopher — the Muskrat, a veritable prophet of Pessimism. His nihilistic view of the world in light of threatening disaster mirrors in a peculiar way the continous discussion on “the best of all possible worlds” in Voltaire’s famous satirical novella Candide, or Optimism. Written roughly 200 years earlier than Tove Jansson’s comet story,Candide can serve as an intertext when taking a closer look on the Moomins. The article argues that young Candide and Moomintroll are heroes of the same kind — a bit ridiculous but very likable ones. When they start out, they have a lot to learn about the world. But we should not underestimate their courage!