Description

Book Synopsis
The concept of obscenity is an ancient one. But as Joan deJean suggests, its modern form, the same that today's politicians decry, was invented in 17th century France. This work also casts a fresh light on the mythical link between sexual impropriety and all things French.

Trade Review
"Joan DeJean's new book is a fascinating study that like so much of her work identifies some of the sources of our own modernity in practices and concepts that emerged and took characteristic form in seventeenth-century France. It is masterfully written, beautifully conceived, convincingly argued, tellingly organized, and a delight to read." - Ross Chambers, author of The Writing of Melancholy: Modes of Opposition in Early French Modernism

The Reinvention of Obscenity Sex Lies Tabloids

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    A Hardback by Joan DeJean

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      Book details

      Publisher The University of Chicago Press
      Published 6 February 2002
      ISBN-13 9780226141404
      978-0226141404
      ISBN-10 0226141403
      Also in:
      Literary studies: general Ethical issues, topics and debates

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      The concept of obscenity is an ancient one. But as Joan deJean suggests, its modern form, the same that today's politicians decry, was invented in 17th century France. This work also casts a fresh light on the mythical link between sexual impropriety and all things French.

      Trade Review
      "Joan DeJean's new book is a fascinating study that like so much of her work identifies some of the sources of our own modernity in practices and concepts that emerged and took characteristic form in seventeenth-century France. It is masterfully written, beautifully conceived, convincingly argued, tellingly organized, and a delight to read." - Ross Chambers, author of The Writing of Melancholy: Modes of Opposition in Early French Modernism

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