Obscenity and Censorship in the Reign of Henri III

Abstract

The Parisian Pierre de L’Estoile was an obsessive compiler of politically motivated, obscene ephemera during the reign of King Henri III (r. 1574–89). This article explores how and why L’Estoile kept on adding to a vast archive of “vilain” (“vile”) materials that he purportedly despised. Examining L’Estoile’s manuscripts at close quarters, the article traces a complex practice of censure and self-censorship alongside similar practices by contemporary writers (Henri Estienne and Pierre de Brantôme). L’Estoile’s contribution to the history of sexuality is that of a self-aware critic, legitimating his compulsion to disavow the obscenities he chose to preserve.