ABSTRACT
In France satire used the oriental tale seriously for the purpose of criticizing contemporary society, morals, and politics; but also turned its criticism against the oriental tale itself, which it travestied and parodied. The natural inclination of the French to satirize foibles of social life and weaknesses of the social structure is plainly visible. Equally apparent is their acuteness in perceiving and criticizing faults of literary style. In England the emphasis was characteristically different and rested more on conduct, less on art. As in France, so in England the impetus and direction to the particular form of satire were first given by Marana. The work of Marana, Dufresny, and Brown was continued by Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele, the first notable English men of letters to utilize the oriental material as a vehicle for satire. After the social satire of Addison and of Steele, the next in point of time and the most notable is that of Montesquieu.
