RSVP | Persian Letters January 27th!
RSVP | Persian Letters January 27th!
Start reading now!
Hi everyone! Happy New Year!! I’m sure many of you have a goal to “read more” in 2023… well, let me help you with that!
As you’re probably already aware, our first Gap Year selection for 2023 is The Persian Letters, a book you most likely have never heard of! (They didn’t even make a Wishbone episode!) Nevertheless, it’s a fascinating read!
The plot is this: in 1711, two Persians (Uzbek and Rica) travel to Paris, France, recording various things they observe, most of which they find astounding and perplexing. All of this happens against an intriguing subplot involving Uzbek’s harem left behind in Isfahan (a province located in what would become modern-day Iran).
The Persian Letters are of interest to us as modern readers because of the book’s significance in the Enlightenment of the 18th century, and that movement’s foundational role in the development of modern thought about self and society. I promise the conversation will be lively and fun, not political and stuffy!
Learn more
The Persian Letters Wikipedia Page
For more background I suggest you watch this Enlightenment Crash Course (4:07 is the Montesquieu overview)
Dinner & RSVP
For dinner we’ll be having saffron rice, lentil fensenjun (a traditional stew), a salad, and flatbreads. Please contribute $5 if you can!
Will you be joining? Please respond to this email as an RSVP! We’d like to get a headcount.
Really looking forward to chatting about this book with you all. Refer back to Robbie’s previous email to find more details about the specific readings.
With love,
Jen