Gregson always approaches Mr Magoo's puzzles with a feeling of dread, but leaves them with a feeling of genuine admiration and this homage to the French writer Voltaire is no different. Excellent grid construction, great cluing and multiple layers of thematic superfluity all conspired to make this puzzle a joy to solve.
The reference to Voltaire's original name Arouet in 2D is a lovely touch. He is alleged to have been inspired to adopt the name Voltaire (an anagram of his Latinised name Arovet Le Jeune) after reading a book on anagrams whilst in prison.
The superfluous letters and spaces in clues spell out the six words LEE SUPERFLUX CHOC SEE TRESS NECESSAIRES. The last letters of these six words can be viewed as superfluous, since they spell out EXCESS. Removing these last letters and adjusting the spacing and punctuation produces the aphorism "Le superflu, chose très nécessaire", a quotation from Voltaire which translates as "The superfluous, a very necessary thing". Removing the letters of VOLTAIRE from 1A, 12A, 16A, 20A, 23A, 32A, 37A and 39A successively produces the across grid entries PARIS, NICE, ANGERS, RENNES, LYON, NANTES, CANNES and LILLE - all French cities.
In the following explanations, the superfluous letters or spaces in clues are shown in square brackets.
ACROSS
1 Church enclosure shows power beside [l]egality (6)
PARVIS (PAR (egality) + VIS (power))
6 Father and offspring half-hearted, having come down in [e]state (6)
ABASED (ABBA (father) + SEED (offspring) both minus one of two middle
letters)
11 I cry, distressed with one bright [e]quality (7)
ORIENCY (anag of I CRY + ONE)
12 Con[ ]fined in prison, con that is naughty (5, two words)
ON ICE (anag of CON + IE (that is))
14 [S]old like a knot of scar tissue (8)
KELOIDAL (anag of OLD LIKE A)
15 Ho[u]se-like structures, each without back (5)
TUBAE (EA (each) + BUT (without) all rev)
16 [P]rods maths students, but not with radius (7)
ANGLERS (WRANGLERS (maths students) minus W (with) and R (radius))
17 Rush after time's [e]lapse (4)
TRIP (T (time) + RIP (rush))
20 Apples from t[r]ee dropping out of torn bags (7)
RENNETS (RENT (torn) minus T (tee) + NETS (bags))
21 Some le[f]t weeping in case that's small (5)
ETWEE (hidden)
23 B[l]atter to make a bet with cricket side (5, two words)
LAY ON (LAY (make a bet) + ON (cricket side))
26 Equally advanced tab[u]s are broken (7)
ABREAST (anag of TABS ARE)
30 Where PO[X] serves to dishearten labourer? (4)
NAVY (NAVVY (labourer) minus middle letter) Is the query superfluous
perhaps!
32 Little devices become prevalent with one in[ ]verse (7)
NANITES (SET IN (become prevalent) + AN (one) all rev)
34 [C]over again short song on disc? (5)
DITTO (DITTY (song) minus last letter + O (disc))
35 Deride c[h]ats we hear in concealment (8)
DISGUISE (DIS (deride) + homophone for GUYS (cats))
36 Vocal swo[o]p for one seeking ridge (5)
ESKAR (ASKER (one seeking) with the vowels swopped over)
37 We preserve what's new amongst can[c]ers (7)
CANNERS (CANERS round N (new))
38 Eg, turn[ ]sole over in grass in summer (6)
HEYDAY (DYE (turnsole) rev inside HAY (grass))
39 One famed for bowling, [s]ailing in direction opposite to weather
(6)
LILLEE (ILL (ailing) inside LEE (opposite to weather))
DOWN
1 Attendant's f[e]at carrying monarch (8)
PORTERLY (PORTLY (fat) round ER (monarch))
2 W[e]aken section penned by timeless French writer (originally) (6)
AROUSE (S (section) inside AROUET (French writer) minus T (ie timeless)
3 Piece of meat appropriately thin, like Peters[ ]ham? (7)
RIBBONY (RIB (piece of meat) + BONY (thin)) The query is probably Mr Magoo's
acknowledgment that the capitalisation is not strictly accurate
4 Potter beheaded darkening [t]roll (5)
INKER (TINKER (potter) minus first letter)
5 Co[r]in's cat regularly visiting badger's burrow? (6)
SCEATT (SET (badger's burrow) and CAT interleaved)
7 US ch[e]ap ball, say, mounted around one dance (6)
BOOGIE (BO (US chap) + O (ball) + EG (say) round I (one) rev)
8 [S]tint in Manila (4)
ANIL (hidden)
9 One favouring [s]tipple in Somerset by report? (5)
SIDER (homophone for CIDER (Somerset tipple)) The allusion to Somerset and
cider is perhaps a little unfair on non-British solvers
10 Create strained position showing ex[ ]tension (6)
ECARTE (anag of CREATE)
13 Woman involved in trick that's scor[n]ed in billiards (6)
CANNON (ANN (woman) inside CON (trick)
18 Priest mixed up some plan[e]ts (6)
PTERIS (anag of PRIEST)
19 Se[c]t free to prevent ladies and gents heading East (8, two words)
LET LOOSE (LET (prevent) + LOOS (ladies and gents) + E (East)) Interestingly
Chambers seems inconsistent here - ladies use the ladies' but gents use the
gents
22 Roué was w[e]ary, getting up without one (7)
WASTREL (WAS + ALERT (wary) minus A (one) rev)
24 Uplift in price requiring present pupil[s] to withdraw (6)
ARAISE (APPRAISE (price) minus PP (present pupil))
25 Audubon, say, ignoring [s]tilt with classical character? (6)
NATURA (NATURALIST (Audubon, say) minus LIST (tilt))
27 Like threads used by M[a]ya, very deep, out of central Yucatan (6)
BYSSAL (ABYSSAL (very deep) minus A (middle letter of Yucatan))
28 Mockery po[i]sed on wrath (6)
SATIRE (SAT (posed) + IRE (wrath))
29 Be[r]ing state set up? (5)
ENSKY (ENS (being) + KY (state))
31 Arabian Princess carrying not[e] turned up (5)
ADENI (IDA (princess) round NE (not) all rev)
33 Example of bad language[s] used by brigadier (4)
IGAD (hidden)