Persian Letters

E54230
epistolary novel philosophical novel satirical novel

Persian Letters is an epistolary satirical novel by Montesquieu that critiques French society, politics, and religion through the observations of two fictional Persian travelers in Europe.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Lettres persanes 2

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf epistolary novel ⓘ
philosophical novel ⓘ
satirical novel ⓘ
author Montesquieu ⓘ
countryOfOrigin France ⓘ
critiquesInstitution Roman Catholicism ⓘ
surface form: Catholic Church

French monarchy ⓘ
Papal authority ⓘ
firstPublisher Pierre Brunel ⓘ
genre philosophical fiction ⓘ
satire ⓘ
social criticism ⓘ
hasCharacter Roxane ⓘ
Zachi ⓘ
the eunuchs of the harem ⓘ
influenced The Spirit of the Laws ⓘ
later epistolary novels ⓘ
literaryForm epistolary fiction ⓘ
literarySignificance early classic of Enlightenment satire ⓘ
important work in development of the epistolary novel ⓘ
mainCharacters Rica ⓘ
Usbek ⓘ
movement French Enlightenment ⓘ
narrativeForm letters ⓘ
notableFeature fragmented narrative ⓘ
ironic tone ⓘ
multiple narrative voices ⓘ
numberOfLetters 161 ⓘ
originalLanguage French ⓘ
originalTitle Persian Letters self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Lettres persanes
period early 18th century literature ⓘ
pseudonymousPublication true ⓘ
publicationPlace Amsterdam ⓘ
publicationYear 1721 ⓘ
setting France ⓘ
Paris ⓘ
Persia ⓘ
structure collection of letters ⓘ
theme Enlightenment thought ⓘ
critique of French society ⓘ
critique of absolutism ⓘ
cultural relativism ⓘ
despotism and power ⓘ
harem politics ⓘ
religious criticism ⓘ
status of women ⓘ
usesDevice foreign observer perspective ⓘ

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Montesquieu → authorOf → Persian Letters ⓘ
this entity surface form: Lettres persanes
Charles-Louis → notableWork → Persian Letters ⓘ
subject surface form: Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu
Montesquieu → notableWork → Persian Letters ⓘ
Persian Letters → originalTitle → Persian Letters self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Lettres persanes