While Montesquieu's attack in the Persian Letters consists of a comparison of foreign conditions and points of view to those of France, Diderot takes his analysis of French Eighteenth Century society considerably further. In Le Neveu de Rameau, creates a thoroughly philosophical, yet intensely real and imaginative account of two Frenchmen's views on virtually aspect of their society and civilization. Working between the speeches and actions of Moi and Lui, Diderot allows us broad insight into the characters' minds. As is the case with every human being, these characters thoughts are a blend of fantasy and reality, hope and despair, dreams and fears. Moi (the Nephew) does not pretend to any great sagacity, yet his comments on life are often to the point, and contain within them many clever observations regarding the true nature of individuals and the society in which they live. Of this natal wisdom, Lui (the Uncle) cannot deprive his nephew:

Nonetheless, Louis XIV's reign ultimately resulted in many problems for the French Monarchy and the French people. Though a golden age in many respects, Louis' numerous wars had traveled a course from brilliant victory to stinging defeat. The nation was on the verge of bankruptcy, and increasingly, writers and savants began to see Louis XIV's Versailles as an image of royal isolation from the rest of society. The court was out of touch, and the real intellectual and social ferment was to be found in Paris and beyond. In the Eighteenth Century, Montesquieu greatly expanded the range of societal critique. His Lettres Persanes used the fictive correspondence of two Persians visiting France as a vehicle for attacking the government and society of the years that marked the end of Louis XIV's Reign, and the beginning of his successor's, Louis XV (actually the rule of the Regent Philippe d'Orleans). The Persians make cutting remarks about almost everything they witness Europe. They point up the discrepancies between practice and reality, and dare to question the rationale - or lack thereof - of many ideas that are simply taken for granted by the French. In addition to expressing mystification at the doctrines of the Christian Church, the Persians begin to pick apart the details that underpin French life. Their attacks on the hypocrisy of fundamental social precepts are further illustrated by the letters that provide a view into their own world of the Harem. Particularly poignant is a letter from one of the eunuchs:

"I anticipated that I should be freed from the onset of love by my powerlessness to satisfy it. But alas! the effects of my passions were eliminated, but not their cause; and far from finding relief, I found myself surrounded by scenes which continually aroused them." (PL 9:49-50)

C'est qu'un coeur bien atteint veut qu'on soit tout a lui, Et je ne viens ici qu'a dessein de lui dire Tout ce que la-dessus ma passion m'inspire.

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Approximate Word count = 2578
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)