Persian Letters by Montesquieu
July 9, 2025•387 words
Persian Letters is a collection of fictional letters written by two Persian travelers, Usbek and Rica, as they journey through France and Europe. Through their outsider's eyes, Montesquieu critiques French society, absolute monarchy, organized religion, gender oppression, and the illusion of civilization.
It's both a satirical mirror and a philosophical lens: what seems foreign becomes familiar, and what's familiar becomes absurd.
Key themes
1) Cultural relativism
By observing French customer...
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