Usbek

No one was fooled; these were Parisian letters, and the Persian travelers, Rica and Usbek, mere stand-ins for an author taking stock of his homeland after the death of Louis XIV and the coming of an age of enlightenment and skepticism.

Information Age / By L. Gordon Crovitz 2008

No one was fooled, these were Parisian letters, and the Persian travelers, Rica and Usbek, mere stand-ins for an author taking stock of his homeland after the death of Louis XIV and the coming of an age of enlightenment and skepticism.

Anti-Americanism Is Mostly Hype 2008

In later letters, Usbek and Rica no longer misinterpret what they see; however, they find the actions of Europeans no less incomprehensible.

Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat Bok, Hilary 2003

Usbek is particularly given to such musings, and he shares many of Montesquieu's own preoccupations: with the contrast between European and non-European societies, the advantages and disadvantages of different systems of government, the nature of political authority, and the proper role of law.

Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat Bok, Hilary 2003

The Persian Letters is an epistolary novel consisting of letters sent to and from two fictional Persians, Usbek and Rica, who set out for Europe in 1711 and remain there at least until 1720, when the novel ends.

Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat Bok, Hilary 2003

At first their humor derives mostly from the fact that Usbek and Rica misinterpret what they see.

Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat Bok, Hilary 2003

In these reflections Usbek seems to be a thoughtful and enlightened observer with a deep commitment to justice.

Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat Bok, Hilary 2003

However, one of the great themes of the Persian Letters is the virtual impossibility of self-knowledge, and Usbek is its most fully realized illustration.

Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat Bok, Hilary 2003

Eventually discipline breaks down altogether; the Chief Eunuch reports this to Usbek and then abruptly dies.

Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat Bok, Hilary 2003

From there he passed to the Crimea and thence to Sarai, carrying papal letters to Usbek, Khan of Kiptchak, who sent an escort with him as far as Armalec, where he arrived in the winter of 1340.

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 16 [Supplement] 1840-1916 1913