Montesquieu's Persian Letters & More's Utopia

The plan, aim, and influence of the Letters can be easily summarized. Three Persians -- Rica, Usbek, and Rhedi -- set out for Europe in order to study its manners and institutions. Rhedi stops at Venice, the other two continue on to Paris. Soon after their departure there begins a lively interchange of letters between Usbek and his wives and eunuchs at home, between the three travelers themselves, and between them and their friends at home. These letters serve as a vehicle for satiric comment on French society, the Catholic church, and European mores in general. Disorders break out in the seraglio of Usbek; the eunuchs try to restore order by punishing one of the favorite wives, another of whom commits suicide. All that is used as elements of what amounts to a novel, but overall it is a dull novel by modern standards. What are more interesting are all the little vignettes, almost like daily newspaper columns, commenting on various aspects of society and of human foibles in general.

There were many imitations of The Persian Letters, but it continues to stand out as a classic of literature. The translator asserts that there are several reasons for this. First, the interest of the Letters does not depend on the framework of the story. He says, "when the faded frame dis