Candide: Notes, Including Introduction, Summaries and Commentaries, Background On Candide, Structure and Style, Satire and Irony, Questions, Bibliography Cliffs Notes On--

In the dawn of the 18th century, a young man named François-Marie Arouet, better known to us as Voltaire, embarked on a journey that would forever change the landscape of European thought. His early years, spent under the rigorous tutelage of the Jesuits at the College of Louis-le-Grand, planted the seeds of a sharp intellect and a critical spirit. Imagine a boy immersed in classical education, reciting Latin verses and absorbing the Renaissance tradition of theater, yet secretly nurturing an ambition far beyond the confines of law, the profession his father desired for him.

Voltaire's precocious talent for satire and poetry soon earned him both admirers and enemies. His witty lampoons and sharp critiques led to exile and imprisonment, moments which paradoxically fueled his resolve. It was during one such confinement that he adopted the name 'Voltaire,' a symbolic rebirth that marked the beginning of his literary crusade against hypocrisy and injustice.

His exile in England proved transformative. There, he encountered a society where reason and tolerance flourished, where thinkers like Newton and Locke challenged old dogmas, and where religious plurality was more than tolerated—it was embraced. This experience opened his eyes to the possibilities of a world governed by reason rather than superstition. It was a world where freedom of thought was not a crime but a right, and where the pursuit of knowledge was a noble endeavor.

Back in France, Voltaire's sharp pen wielded satire as his weapon, targeting the follies of optimism, the abuses of power, and the hypocrisies of the Church. His relationship with Emilie du Châtelet, a brilliant mathematician and philosopher, further deepened his understanding of science and metaphysics, enriching his critiques with intellectual rigor.

This foundation of skepticism, reason, and defiance against blind faith set the stage for the creation of Candide, a tale that would challenge the very notion that we live in the best of all possible worlds. As we move forward, we will follow Candide's journey—a mirror to Voltaire's own quest for truth amidst a world rife with suffering and absurdity. Let us now step into Candide's world, where innocence meets harsh reality, and optimism is put to the ultimate test.