Reflections on the Revolution in France begins with Edmund Burke providing context for his letter; he addresses the letter to a family friend, a French aristocrat, on the subject of the French Revolution. Immediately, Burke recounts a sermon given by Dr. Richard Price, a member of the Revolutionary Society, a London political club. In his sermon, Price heralds the positive contributions of the French Revolution. To frame his own reply, Burke states, “Indulging myself in the freedom of epistolary intercourse, I beg leave to throw out my thoughts, and express my feelings, just as they arise in my mind, with very little attention to formal method” (10). The style of Reflections on the Revolution in France is informal and the first third (and some significant portions after) are dedicated as a direct response to Price’s sermon and the radical sentiments therein. This is more than a letter to his friend: Burke’s audience is all of England, if not Europe. 

In the first section, Burke examines the claim as to whether France truly imitates England’s constitution in its proceedings during the French Revolution.