Trials (Obscenity) -- France -- History -- 19th century
The Court has given audience for a part of the last week to the debate
of the suit brought against MM. Léon Laurent-Pichat and Auguste-Alexis
Pillet, the first the director, the second the printer of a periodical
publication called the _Revue de Paris_, and M. Gustave Flaubert, a man
of letters, all three implicated: 1st, Laurent-Pichat, for having, in
1856, published in the numbers of the 1st and the 15th of December of
the _Revue de Paris_, some fragments of a romance entitled, _Madame
Bovary_ and, notably, divers fragments contained in pages 73, 77, 78,
272, 273, has committed the misdemeanor of outraging public and
religious morals and established customs; 2nd, Pillet and Flaubert are
similarly guilty; Pillet in printing them, for they were published, and
Flaubert for writing and sending to Laurent-Pichat for publication, the
fragments of the romance entitled, _Madame Bovary_ as above designated,
for aiding and abetting, with knowledge, Laurent-Pichat in the facts
which have been prepared, in facilitating and consummating the
above-mentioned misdemeanor, and of thus rendering themselves
accomplices in the misdeameanor provided for by articles 1 and 8 of the
law of May 17, 1819, and 59 and 60 of the Penal Code.
M. PINARD, substitute, has sustained the prosecution.
The COURT, after hearing the defense, presented by M. SENARD for
M. FLAUBERT, M. DEMAREST for PICHAT, and M. FAVÉRIE for the PRINTER,
has set for audience this day (Feb. 7) for pronouncing judgment, which
is rendered in the following terms:
"_Be it known_, that Laurent-Pichat, Gustave Flaubert and Pillet are
charged with having committed the misdemeanor of an outrage against
public and religious morals and established customs; the first as
author, in publishing in the periodical publication entitled the _Revue
de Paris_ of which he is the manager-proprietor, and in the numbers of
the 1st and 15th of October, the 1st and 15th of November and the 1st
and 15th of December, 1856, a romance entitled _Madame Bovary_, Gustave
Flaubert and Pillet as accomplices, the one for furnishing the
manuscript, and the other for printing the said romance;
"_Be it known_, that the particularly marked passages of the romance
with which we have to do, which include nearly 300 pages, are contained,
according to the terms of the ordinance of dismissal before the Court of
Correction, in pages 73, 77 and 78 (of the number of the 1st of
December), and 271, 272, 273 (of the 15th of December number, 1856);
"_Be it known_, that the incriminated passages, viewed abstractively and
isolatedly, present effectively either expressions, or images, or
pictures which good taste reproves and which are of a nature to make an
attack upon legitimate and honorable susceptibilities;
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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