In her letters, the woman spends most of the context sharing the strong love she has towards her fiance Aza, the King in the land of the Sun.

It is through her connections to these two that Zilia begins to familiarize herself to French society, and reflect on its absurd characteristics, relaying everything she sees to Aza.

To a much greater degree than Montesquieu, Françoise de Graffigny engages readers in a suspenseful story, turning on whether Zilia will be reunited with Aza or whether she will consent to marry Déterville.

[2] Jonathan Israel wrote that the Letters "first powerfully concocted the potent late Enlightenment myth of the virtuous and heroic Incas."

[4] Contemporary critics, including Pierre Clément, Élie Catherine Fréron, Joseph de La Porte, and Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, wrote long and mostly favorable reviews.

A number of sequels were written, often to "improve" on the author's dénouement; the most famous was Lettres d'Aza, by Ignace Hugary de Lamarche-Courmont, published in 1748 and frequently reprinted with the original novel.