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L'École des filles is an erotic work of fiction described by Samuel Pepys in his famous diary.

In the 17th century, numerous examples of pornographic or erotic literature began to circulate, mostly printed in Amsterdam, and smuggled into European states. These included École des filles, a French work printed in 1655 that is considered to be the beginnings of pornography in France. It consists of an illustrated dialogue between two women, a 16-year-old and her more worldly cousin, and their explicit discussions about sex. The author remains anonymous to this day, though a few suspected authors served light prison sentences for supposed authorship of the work. In his famous diary, Samuel Pepys records purchasing a copy for solitary reading and then burning it so that it would not be discovered by his wife; "the idle roguish book, L'escholle de filles; which I have bought in plain binding… because I resolve, as soon as I have read it, to burn it."

"For the wretched and phoney distinction between erotic and pornographic we have D. H. Lawrence to thank. Lady Chatterley's Lover is organised around his dichotomy between natural lovemaking (the erotic) and mechanical masturbation (the pornographic). It mirrors a traditional way of separating the wheat of the erotic art from the chaff of pornographic rubbish that is centuries old. In 1668 Samuel Pepys picked up a copy of an early erotic novel L'École des filles. Having read it and pleasured himself, he threw the "idle roguish book" on the fire. [1] [Jan 2005]

[2] [Apr 2007]

Notes

Samuel Pepys (1633 - 1703)L'Ecole des Filles. For the wretched and phoney distinction between ... In 1668 Samuel Pepys picked up a copy of an early erotic novel L'Ecole des Filles. ...

DepictionThese included L'Ecole des Filles a French work printed in 1655 that is considered to be the beginning of pornography in France. ...

AnonymityL'Ecole des filles ou la Philosophie des dames (1655) - Anonymous ... The first classic of modern erotic literature, L'Ecole des filles (shown above) of ...

InventionThe Politics of Pornography: L'Ecole des filles, Joan Dejean. Sometimes a Sceptre is only a Sceptre: Pornography and Politics in Restoration England, ...

European eroticaTwo early 17th century French works, L’Ecole des Filles and L’Academie des Dames, were written as female dialogues — a literary device that was to be ...

Gordon Rattray TaylorL'Ecole des Filles. Strasbourg, 1871. 260. Anon. Satan's Harvest Home: or the present state of Whorecraft, Adultery, Fornication, Procuring, Pimping, ...

Michel Millot[T]he first classic of modern erotic literature, L'Ecole des filles of 1655. Highlighting a dialogue in which a mature woman initiates a younger one in the ...

Libertine literatureWhile the first obscene novels were usually dialogues L'École des filles (The School for Girls) in 1655 and L'Académie des Dames (Women's Academy), ...