Persian Letters

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Persian Letters

Persian Letters is a satirical story of two Persian brothers, Usbek and Rica, traveling through France by Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu. It is told in epistolary form and consists of 161 letters dated over a span of nine years from 1711 to 1720. Published anonymously in Amsterdam in 1721, it pointed out the "barbaric" absurdities of contemporary French life from an outsider's perspective, and was a symptom of a widening movement towards Enlightenment thought, where questioning the authority of the church and the state was blossoming.

The novel applies the principle of alterity by putting contemporary French readers (Montesquieu's audience) in the place of outsiders examining French society. The same technique was used extensively by Voltaire in his short stories and satirical works.

Many of the letters, especially those by Rica, are descriptive portrayals of French life. Often, they take everyday aspects of French society and make them appear ridiculous; for instance, in XXIV Rica describes the Pope as a "magician" who can "make the king believe that three are only one, or else that the bread one eats is not bread, or that the wine one drinks is not wine, and a thousand other things of the same kind," mocking certain aspects of Christian dogma.

Other letters, particularly those by Usbek, are reflective. Usbek comments on topics such as the nature of virtue and liberty, the value of religion, etc. One such commentary is the famous Parable of the Troglodytes in XI-XIV.

Aside from the brothers' experience of their journey, a major aspect of the book is the plot involving Usbek and his rebellious harem at home in Persia.

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[edit] Recommended Bibliography

Durand-Sendrail Béatrice. “Mirage des lumières: politique du regard dans les Lettres persanes.” L’Esprit créateur. Vol. 28, No. 4. (Winter 1988), 69-81.
Frautschi, R. L. "The Would-Be Invisible Chain in Les Lettres persanes." The French Review, Vol. 40, No. 5. (Apr., 1967), pp. 604-612.
Kant, Immanuel. An Answer to the question : What is Enlightenment?
Kettler, David. "Montesquieu on Love: Notes on the Persian Letters.” The American Political Science Review. Vol. 58, No. 3. (Sep., 1964), pp. 658-661.
Schaub, Diana J. Erotic Liberalism: Women and Revolution in Montesquieu's "Persian Letters". Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1995.
Singerman, Alan J. “Réflexions sur une métaphore: le sérail dans les Lettres persanes.” Vol. 185. (1980), 181-98.
Todorov, Tzvetan. Réflexions sur Les lettres persanes.