Persian Letters is a satirical story of two Persian brothers travelling through France by Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu. Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which exposes the follies of its subject (for example, individuals, organizations, or states) to ridicule, often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (January 18, 1689 – February 10, 1755) was a French political thinker who lived during the Enlightenment and is famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers, taken for granted...

Published 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. Amsterdam Location Country The Netherlands Province North Holland Population 739,295 (1 January 2005) Coordinates 4°54E - 52°22N Website www. ... 1721 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Age of Enlightenment refers to the 18th century in European philosophy, and is often thought of as part of a larger period which includes the Age of Reason. ... A church building is a building used in Christian worship. ... A state is an organized political community occupying a definite territory, having an organized government, and possessing internal and external sovereignty. ...

The same technique — that of an outsider commenting on accepted peculiarities of daily life — was used extensively by Voltaire in his short stories and satirical works. The tone of this article is inappropriate for an encyclopedia. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which exposes the follies of its subject (for example, individuals, organizations, or states) to ridicule, often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ...

Key Themes

• Alterity
• Satire
• National Identity / Nationalism
• the Harem
• Enlightenment
• Humanism
• Exile
• Reason
• Race

This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which exposes the follies of its subject (for example, individuals, organizations, or states) to ridicule, often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... It has been suggested that Ethnic nationalism be merged into this article or section. ... In traditional Arab culture, the harîm حريم (cf. ... Enlightenment may refer to: Enlightenment (concept), a concept in mysticism, philosophy and psychology For the Hindu religious concept of enlightenment, see moksha For the Buddhist religious concept, see Bodhi, Satori For the Yoga concept of enlightenment, see Yogic Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment, a period in European history For the... Humanism is an active ethical and philosophical approach to life focusing on human solutions to human issues through rational arguments without recourse to a god, gods, sacred texts or religious creeds. ... Exile is a form of punishment. ... In philosophy, reason or rationality (adjective can be either rational or reasonable, each giving a slightly different meaning, and both of which are also related to the word logical) describes a type of thought or aspect of thought, especially abstract thought, which is felt to be especially human. ... A race is a population of humans distinguished in some way from other humans. ...

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.
• 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.