The Persian Letters Author:Montesquieu The Persian Letters is simultaneously an important document in the development of the thought and intellectual milieu of the French Enlightenment and a witty, amusing novel in the best tradition of the century of Fragonard, Marivaux, and Watteau. In order to describe and interpret the society and culture of his day, Montesquieu hit on the device... more » of a group of Persian travelers in Europe, whose letters -- to and from their friends, harem eunuchs, and wives -- constitute the book. Religion, politics, economics, social life, the arts -- everything human is surveyed, satirized, and discussed. J. Robert Loy's translation makes available -- in its entirety -- a literary and philosophical classic.« less