Diagramming Pangloss: All is for the Best in the Best of All Possible Worlds

In Candide, Voltaire presents one of the most famous lines in literature, putting it in the mouth of the one of the most famous philosphers in literature, Dr. Pangloss.

"All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds," Pangloss says.  "Tout est pour le mieux dans le meilleur des mondes possibles."

However, as easy as it is to find explanations of this philosophy in English or in French, your choice, it is not as easy to find grammatical analyses of the line.  This line's analysis requires the analyzer take a long, hard look at each of the three prepositional phrases and determine their best possible locations.  That is not to say, of course, that Voltaire did not place them in their best of all possible locations in the best of all possible lines, just that the analysis can lead to a better understanding.

Subject and Verb: "Tout est"

The subject and verb, "Tout est," is easy to determine.  The sentence has only one verb, "est," and "Tout" is the only noun that precedes the verb.  The subject sits to the left of the base line, and the verb sits to the right, divided by a perpendicular line that slightly crosses the base line. 

First Prepositional Phrase: "pour le mieux"

The first prepositional phrase, "pour le mieux," acts as a subject compliment in this sentence.  The subject and this first prepositional phrase are joined by the linking verb, "est." In other words "Tout" equals "pour le mieux."    In order to diagram the subject compliment, add a back-slanting line after the verb and diagram the prepositional phrase above the base line.  Connect the prepositional phrase element to the base line with a perpendicular line and legs.

 

Second Prepositional Phrase: "dans le meilleur"

The second prepositional phrase, "dans le meilleur," requires some interpretive sleuthing.  A prepositional phrase is a modifying phrase.  It behaves like an adjective or an adverb.  To determine its placement in a diagram, one must determine what the prepositional phrase is modifying.  In this case, it could describe what "is in the world," what "est dans le meilleur," or it could be telling us Dr. Pangloss means to tell us about "all in the world" (or "everything in the world"), "tout dans le meilleur."  Lastly, he could mean all is for the "best in the world," which would really emphasize the level of best, or "mieux."  As the interpreter of this sentence, I have chosen the second interpretation, "Tout dans le meilleur" as the subject, which emphasizes he really means everything. The phrase has been diagrammed under the subject.

 

Third Prepositional Phrase: "des mondes possibles"

The final prepositional phrase, "des mondes possibles," modifies the object of the preposition, "meilleur," which translates to "the best of all," or colloquially, "the absolute best." When analyzed grammatically, a reader can see that with the use of the two superlatives, "mieux" and "meilleur," the last prepositional phrase is really unnecessary.  However, when analyzed for interpretation or meaning, this last prepositional phrase adds to Dr. Pangloss's character development and echoes the philosophies of Liebniz - all for the effect of the novel's satire. 

Final Diagram: "Tout est pour le mieux dans le meilleur des mondes possibles."

The final diagram for Dr. Pangloss's philosophical sound byte looks to be a rearrangement of the original that does, indeed, assist with understanding, whether that understanding aligns with accepted meanings or semantically stands apart from accepted meanings: "All in the best of all possible worlds is for the best," or "Tout dans le meilleur des mondes possibles est pour le mieux."

Want to read more about analyzing literature?  Try

Diagramming a Poem by Mina Loy
Writing about Unctuous Characters
Using Existentialism as Literary Analysis

Want to learn more about diagramming sentences?  

Take my complete online course, "Sentence Diagramming: From Beginner to Expert in 12 Lessons" on Udemy, or purchase my text, Diagramming Sentences: A Playful Way to Analyze Everyday Language (affiliate link) on Amazon.

Copyright Amy Lynn Hess.  Please contact the author for permission to republish.