Persian Letters
by Montesquieu · Lettres persanes
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1721
- Form
- Satire
- Language
- French
- Length
- Medium · 300 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendPersian Letters, translated by Margaret MauldonOxford World's Classics, 2008A lively modern translation with notes by Andrew Kahn on the Persian and Parisian references.
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An epistolary novel published anonymously in Amsterdam. Two Persian noblemen, Usbek and Rica, travel to Paris in 1712 and describe French customs, religion, politics and fashions to friends at home with the puzzled candour of outsiders, mocking the Pope, the king, the financier John Law and the Academy. Interleaved are letters from Usbek's harem in Isfahan, where his absence loosens the eunuchs' control and his wives rebel. The book ends with the suicide of his favourite wife Roxane, who has deceived him and dies declaring herself free.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Persian Letters are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
