Patrick Brady, "The Lettres persanes: rococo or neo-classical ? The epistolary structure is quite flexible: nineteen correspondents in all, with at least twenty-two different recipients. He also assimilates the two religions and even all religions with respect to their social utility. XXXVIII. C. Martin, Paris, Oxford, PUPS et Voltaire Foundation, coll. Lettre 10 : Mirza se plaint de l’absence d’Usbek et lui demande des conseils. Lettres persanes, lettre 37, introduction. C'est en Hollande que les Lettres persanes paraissent pour la première fois en 1721. Les vents murmuroient, et disoient : C’est plutôt à nous, parce que nous pouvons lui apporter de tous les endroits les odeurs les plus agréables. Lettre X. Mirza à son ami Usbek. Beginning about 1970 it is religion (Kra) and especially politics (Ehrard, Goulemot, Benrekassa) which predominate in studies on Lettres persanes, with a progressive return to the role of the seraglio with all its women and eunuchs (Delon, Grosrichard, Singerman, Spector) or the cultural cleavage of Orient and Occident. IX (9) 1 er eunuque noir à Ibbi Longue lettre (1e qui ne soit pas de, ou pour Usbek) : il se plaint d’être malheureux au milieu des femmes, et d’être asservi. Lettre VIII. Le premier eunuque à Ibbi. Usbek and Rica by far dominate with sixty-six letters for the former and forty-seven for the latter (of the original 150). I have never seen so universal a decider; his mind was not once troubled with the least doubt. les lettres persanes : résumé par lettre Home; Cameras; Sports; Accessories; Contact Us Il demande à Ah ! Letters 138–150 [146–161]: the collapse of the seraglio in Isfahan, approximately 3 years (1717–1720). Gemschid : Derviche (membre d'une confrérie musulmane) au monastère de … Rica à Ibben. Initially, for most of its first readers as well as for its author, it was not considered primarily a novel, and even less an "epistolary novel" (as it is often classified now), which was not at that time a constituted genre. Le premier eunuque à Ibbi. XXXVIII. The café – where debates take place (letter 34 [36]) – has become established as a public institution, as were already the theatre and opera. They describe a thriving culture, where even the presence of two Persians quickly becomes a popular phenomenon, thanks to the proliferation of prints (letter 28 [30]). Il vint au monde circoncis, et la joie parut sur son visage dès sa naissance, la terre trembla trois fois, comme si elle eût enfanté elle-même ; toutes les idoles se prosternèrent ; les trônes des rois furent renversés ; Lucifer fut jeté au fond de la mer, et ce ne fut qu’après avoir nagé pendant quarante jours qu’il sortit de l’abîme et s’enfuit sur le mont Cabès, d’où, avec une voix terrible, il appela les anges. Others who have followed have looked into the ramifications of epistolary form, the structure and meaning of the seraglio, Usbek's contradictions. Aurélia Gaillard. Le roi du Thibet a la Congrégation de la Propagande a Rome. Dieu qui, par les décrets de sa providence, avoit résolu, dès le commencement, d’envoyer aux hommes ce grand prophète pour enchaîner Satan, créa une lumière deux mille ans avant Adam, qui, passant d’élu en élu, d’ancêtre en ancêtre de Mahomet, parvint enfin jusques à lui comme un témoignage authentique qu’il étoit descendu des patriarches. La dernière modification de cette page a été faite le 22 décembre 2018 à 08:13. Available in Eighteenth Century Collections Online to libraries which subscribe to that series. The impact of Jean Chardin’s Voyages en Perse, to which he owes most of his information about Persia – which is far from superficial – must of course be recognized; he owned the two-volume edition of 1687 and purchased the extended edition in ten volumes in 1720. On entendit une voix du ciel, qui disoit ces paroles : J’ai envoyé au monde mon ami fidèle. Knowing, moreover, from the outset that he is not assured of a return to Persia, Usbek is also already disabused about their attitude (letters 6 and 19 [20]). À Paris, le 20 de la lune de Rhégeb, 1713. While the great popularity of Antoine Galland’s Mille et Une Nuits (The Arabian Nights) contributes, as do the Bible and the Qu’ran, to the general ambiance of oriental subjects, in fact it has almost nothing in common with the Lettres persanes. RESUME – LES LETTRES PERSANES, Montesquieu (1721) Lettre première Usbek à Rustan (Ispahan) Usbek relate à Rustan, les motivations qui l’ont conduit à quitter son pays malgré la richesse de la culture perse et ses innombrables curiosités. Persian Letters (French: Lettres persanes) is a literary work, published in 1721, by Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu, recounting the experiences of two fictional Persian noblemen, Usbek and Rica, who are traveling through France.[1]. Edgar Mass, "Les éditions des Lettres persanes," Revue française d’histoire du livre nos 102–103 (1999), pp. Lettre VII. We left science, and talked of the current news: he decided upon the current news. Everything from institutions (the university, the Academy, Sciences, the Bull Unigenitus) via groups (fashion, dandies, coquettes) to individuals (the opera singer, the old warrior, the rake, and so forth) comes to the eye of the reader. 14365): cf. Mais une voix du Ciel fut entendue, qui termina toutes les disputes : Il ne sera point ôté d’entre les mains des mortels, parce qu’heureuses les mamelles qui l’allaiteront, et les mains qui le toucheront, et la maison qu’il habitera, et le lit où il reposera. Jean Starobinski, Paris: Gallimard "Folio," 1973, reprinted in 2003. Jean Rousset, "Une forme littéraire : le roman par lettres," in, Roger Laufer, "La réussite romanesque et la signification des Lettres persanes,". LETTRE IX.le premier eunuque a ibbi , a erzeron. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Usbek à Mirza. He will know next all the streets in Ispahan better than I do!” I soon knew what part to play-to be silent, and let him talk; and he is still laying down the law.[3]. Initially, for most of its first readers as well as for its author, it was not considered primarily a novel, and even less an "epistolary novel" (as it is often classified now… No one had the notion of attaching it to the novelistic genre. Vif, p. 291-306., 2013. Dictionnaire historique et critique, Rotterdam, Reinier Leers, 1697, 4 parties en deux volumes in-folio. Abréviations utilisées dans les Lettres Persanes. The most important modern French editions: There have been numerous English translations, usually under the title (The) Persian Letters: 1721 literary work by Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu, La quête du savoir dans les Lettres persanes, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Persian_Letters&oldid=992032013, Articles needing additional references from September 2009, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from November 2014, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Montesquieu - Lettres persanes I, 1873.djvu, Montesquieu - Lettres persanes I, 1873.djvu/1. A second edition (B) by the same publisher later in the same year, for which there is so far no entirely satisfactory explanation, curiously included three new letters but omitted thirteen of the original ones. Selon le témoignage d’Isben Aben, historien arabe, les générations des oiseaux, des nuées, des vents, et tous les escadrons des anges, se réunirent pour élever cet enfant, et se disputèrent cet avantage. », Aram Vartanian, "Eroticism and politics in the Lettres persanes,", Jean Ehrard, "La signification politique des Lettres persanes,". Lettres persanes, 1721, première édition. A new edition in 1758, prepared by Montesquieu's son, included eight new letters – bringing the total at that point to 161 – and a short piece by the author entitled "Quelques réflexions sur les Lettres persanes". The only translation based on the critical edition of 2004. Position des eunuques dans le sérail. Montesquieu's "sources" are legion, since they doubtless extend to readings and conversations which are modified en route. Lettres persanes (1721) ... Voilà, cher Ibbi, l’état cruel dans lequel j’ai toujours vécu. Là un homme obligeant vient pour un peu d’argent vous offrir le secret de faire de l’or 1. Usbek for his part is troubled by religious contrasts. Various aspects of the book are doubtless indebted to particular models, of which the most important is Giovanni Paolo Marana’s L’Espion dans les cours des princes chrétiens (Letters Writ by a Turkish Spy), widely known at the time, even though Montesquieu’s characters obviously are Persians and not Turks. Although Usbek has learned as early as October 1714 that "the seraglio is in disorder" (letter 63 [65]). All subsequent editions in the author's lifetime (i.e., until 1755) derive from A or B. In the 1950s began a new era of studies based on better texts and renewed perspectives. Je voulus l’attraper, et je dis en moi-même : Il faut que je me mette dans mon fort ; je vais me réfugier dans mon pays. In 1711 Usbek leaves his seraglio in Isfahan to take the long journey to France, accompanied by his young friend Rica. Tes soins se bornent uniquement à la personne d’Usbek. Hallucinations d'une femme ardente, privée de son mari. On laissa les sciences ; on parla des nouvelles du temps : il décida sur les nouvelles du temps. LIEUX ET PERSONNAGES DES LETTRES PERSANES PERSONNAGES Ben Josué: Nouveau converti à la foi religieuse, destinataire de la lettre d'Haggi Ibi sur la naissance de Mahomet et les signes qui lui sont associés. Universitätsbibliothek Erlangen-Nürnberg, H58/EZ-II 459 There are still people foolish enough to search at their own expense for the philosopher's stone; the newsmonger and the periodical press are beginning to play a role in everyday life. Over time, various disorders surface back in the seraglio, and, beginning in 1717 (Letter 139 [147]), the situation there rapidly unravels. Ibben, who functions more as addressee than correspondent, writes only two letters but receives forty-two. Fatmé: Epouse d'Usbek qui exprime son amour de manière sensuelle et passionnée. Hagi est un homme qui a fait le pélerinage de la Mecque. Que tu es heureux ! I wished to catch him, so I said to myself, “I must get to my strong point; I will betake me to my own country.” I spoke to him of Persia; but hardly had I opened my mouth, when he contradicted me twice, basing his objections upon the authority of Tavernier and Chardin. Alors que la France de 1721 subissait une épidémie de peste menant la moitié Sud à des mesures drastiques de confinement, Charles-Louis de Montesquieu publiait au printemps ses Lettres persanes. Il t’est facile de lui plaire et de te maintenir dans sa faveur jusques au dernier de tes jours. LETTRE X.mirza a son ami usbek , a erzeron. Paul Vernière, Paris: Classiques Garnier, 1960, reprinted in 1965, 1975, 1992; revised edition by Catherine Volpilhac-Auger, Livre de Poche classique, 2001. Ce document a été mis à jour le 14/11/2012 — Non, non, disoient les nuées, non ; c’est à nos soins qu’il sera confié, parce que nous lui ferons part à tous les instants de la fraîcheur des eaux. XL. Although this takes place in the declining years of the aged king, much of what he has accomplished is still admired in a Paris where the Invalides is being completed and cafés and theatre proliferate. « A Cologne, chez Pierre Marteau, 1721 » [Amsterdam, veuve de Jaques Desbordes], 2 volumes in-12 Dite « Édition A » dans la tradition Bibliographique ; bibliographie de C. Courtney 2 : 21PM1, « Première édition, première impression ». C. J. Betts, Harmondsworth and New York: Penguin, 1973. Véritable cause du voyage d'Usbek. [2], I found myself recently in a company where I met a man very well satisfied with himself. The difference of temperament of the two friends is notable, Usbek being more experienced and asking many questions, Rica less implicated and more free, and more attracted by Parisian life. Dans un quart d’heure, il décida trois questions de morale, quatre problèmes historiques, et cinq points de physique : Je n’ai jamais vu un décisionnaire si universel ; son esprit ne fut jamais suspendu par le moindre doute. Particularly important were the extensively annotated edition by Paul Vernière and the research of Robert Shackleton on Muslim chronology; also studies by Roger Laufer, Pauline Kra and Roger Mercier, which put new focus on the work's unity and integrated the seraglio into its overall meaning. Montesquieu never referred to Lettres persanes (Persian Letters) as a novel until "Quelques remarques sur les Lettres persanes," which begins: "Nothing about the Lettres persanes was more ingratiating than to find in it unexpectedly a sort of novel. From letter 69 (71) to letter 139 (147) – chronologically from 1714 to 1720 – not a single letter from Usbek relates to the seraglio, which is unmentioned in any guise from letter 94 to 143 (and even in the edition of 1758 from supplementary letter 8 (97) to 145. ... APPENDICE FRAGMENTS DE VIEUX MATÉRIAUX DES LETTRES PERSANES. A collection of "letters" in 1721 would more likely evoke the recent tradition of essentially polemical and political periodicals, such as Lettres historiques (1692–1728), the Jesuits’ famous Lettres édifiantes et curieuses (1703–1776), not to mention Mme Dunoyer's Lettres historiques et galantes (1707–1717) which, in the form of a correspondence between two women, provide a chronicle of the end of the reign of Louis XIV and the beginning of the Regency. Both retain Montesquieu's rich satirical tone, as in Rica's Lettre 72: Je me trouvai l’autre jour dans une compagnie où je vis un homme bien content de lui. Everything having to do with contemporary France or Paris, on the other hand, comes from his own experience, and from conversations of anecdotes related to him. Moreover, all the letters from 126 (132) to 137 (148) are from Rica, which means that for about fifteen months (from 4 August 1719 to 22 October 1720) Usbek is completely silent. Il lui raconte l’histoire des Troglodytes qui n’avaient aucun gouvernement et … Montesquieu never referred to Lettres persanes (Persian Letters) as a novel until "Quelques remarques sur les Lettres persanes," which begins: "Nothing about the Lettres persanes was more ingratiating than to find in it unexpectedly a sort of novel. Je lui parlai de la Perse ; mais, à peine lui eus-je dit quatre mots, qu’il me donna deux démentis, fondés sur l’autorité de messieurs Tavernier et Chardin. bon Dieu ! There is a visible beginning, development, and ending […]." Catalogue. Là-dessus les anges indignés s’écrioient : Que nous restera-t-il donc à faire ? While Usbek appreciates the freer relations among men and women in the West, he remains, as master of a seraglio, a prisoner of his past. X (10) Mirza à Usbek [Thomas] Flloyd, London, 4th edition 1762. Dernière modification le 22 décembre 2018, à 08:13, https://fr.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Lettres_persanes/Lettre_39&oldid=9298995, licence Creative Commons Attribution-partage dans les mêmes conditions. J. Robert Loy, New York: Meridian Books, 1961. Mon parti fut bientôt pris : je me tus, je le laissai parler, et il décide encore. Until the middle of the twentieth century, it was its "spirit" of the Regency which was largely admired, as well as the caricature in the classical tradition of La Bruyère, Pascal and Fontenelle. But it is in its numerous imitations – such as Lettres juives (1738) and Lettres chinoises (1739) of Boyer d’Argens, Lettres d’une Turque à Paris, écrites à sa sœur (1730) by Poullain de Saint-Foix (published several times in conjunction with Lettres persanes), and perhaps especially Françoise de Graffigny’s Lettres d’une Péruvienne (1747) – not to mention the letter-novels of Richardson – which, between 1721 and 1754, had in effect transformed Lettres persanes into an "epistolary novel." book Lettres persanes (1721) Montesquieu A. Lemerre 1873 Paris T Montesquieu - Lettres persanes I, 1873.djvu Montesquieu - Lettres persanes …