In his book The Persian Letters, Montesquieu observes his own society through the eyes of his fictional characters, the Persian travelers Usbek and Rica, whose views are expressed in their letters home. In this paper, I will show how Montesquieu makes use of this device to comment on his own society and to develop a satiric view of that society by using the Persians as substitutes, providing a safe distance between himself and his criticisms. This view will be developed by indicating how the Persians serve their creator as conduits through which to filter French society, allowing an insider (Montesquieu) to comment as an outsider (the Persians) and so to bring a fresh perspective on the issues raised. What Montesquieu thinks about life in his era is shown by means of the comments of the Persians in their letters home, letters in which they marvel at cultural differences and so see French and European society as if for the first time. One result of this approach is to broaden the perspective of the reader to accept that human beings are more varied and have greater cultural differences than one might otherwise imagine and also to accept those cultural differences as different manifestations of being human, and this can be shown in the way Montesquieu treats his material.
Montesquieu may criticize his era, but he is still a product of that period known as the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment is the name given to the period in European history when writing and thought in general was characterized by an emphasis on experience and reason. This meant there was a mistrust of religion and traditional authority, and one result was the gradual emergence of the ideals of liberal, secular, democratic societies. The Enlightenment is associated with a materialist view of human beings, an optimism about human progress through education, and a general utilitarian approach to society and ethics. The movement can be discerned in England in ...