Venus in the Cloister
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Related e |
Featured: |
The Nun in her Smock or Venus in the Cloister is the English translation of the French novel Vénus dans le Cloître (1683), variously ascribed to Abbé du Prat or François de Chavigny de la Bretonniere.
In 1724, Edmund Curll published the "pornographic" title that argued that it is the church, and not Christ, that forbids sexual exploration. In 1727 he was convicted under the common law offence of disturbing the peace for its publication. It appears to be the first conviction for obscenity in the United Kingdom, and set a legal precedent for other convictions.
The format of the book is an example of a whore dialogue. In a series of five dramatic conversations between two fictional nuns (sister Agnès and sister Angélique) are related. In these conversations, the elder more experienced woman instructs the younger about sex.
See