The Provincial Letters
In eighteen letters published anonymously under the name Louis de Montalte, Pascal first defends Antoine Arnauld against his censure by the Sorbonne, then turns to the moral theology of Jesuit casuists. A naive narrator questions an obliging Jesuit Father whose quotations from Escobar and other authors show how probable opinions and the direction of intention can excuse almost anything.
Understanding the text
The letters appeared as separate pamphlets between January 1656 and March 1657, at the height of the quarrel over grace and the five propositions attributed to Jansenius. Arnauld and Nicole helped with the documentation. Rome placed the collection on the Index in 1657, yet its clarity and irony made it a model of classical French prose.
Key points
- 01
Grace
The first letters show a Sorbonne majority agreeing on words such as proximate power while disagreeing about what they mean.
- 02
Probabilism
A confessor may follow any opinion defended by one serious doctor, even against an opinion that is more probable.
- 03
Fact and right
The later letters separate the question whether a doctrine is condemned from whether a given book actually contains it.
Explore the ideas in depth
Casuistry and irony
Study how the Provincial Letters turn quotations from moral theologians into a public argument about conscience.
Situating the text
The letters appeared as separate pamphlets between January 1656 and March 1657, at the height of the quarrel over grace and the five propositions attributed to Jansenius. Arnauld and Nicole helped with the documentation. Rome placed the collection on the Index in 1657, yet its clarity and irony made it a model of classical French prose. In eighteen letters published anonymously under the name Louis de Montalte, Pascal first defends Antoine Arnauld against his censure by the Sorbonne, then turns to the moral theology of Jesuit casuists. A naive narrator questions an obliging Jesuit Father whose quotations from Escobar and other authors show how probable opinions and the direction of intention can excuse almost anything.
Following the arguments
Grace : The first letters show a Sorbonne majority agreeing on words such as proximate power while disagreeing about what they mean. Probabilism : A confessor may follow any opinion defended by one serious doctor, even against an opinion that is more probable. Fact and right : The later letters separate the question whether a doctrine is condemned from whether a given book actually contains it.
Continuing the reading
Read letters 1, 5 and 7 for the method, then one letter addressed directly to the Jesuits, checking each quotation against what the casuists actually argued. The letters appeared as separate pamphlets between January 1656 and March 1657, at the height of the quarrel over grace and the five propositions attributed to Jansenius. Arnauld and Nicole helped with the documentation. Rome placed the collection on the Index in 1657, yet its clarity and irony made it a model of classical French prose.
Questions to carry into your reading
- How does the naive narrator lead readers to judge the casuists without telling them what to think?
- Is the charge of laxity fair to probabilism as its defenders understood it?
Satire can serve moral argument when its quotations are exact and its readers are left to judge.
How to read it
Read letters 1, 5 and 7 for the method, then one letter addressed directly to the Jesuits, checking each quotation against what the casuists actually argued.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗