Between the Early Modern and the Modern

Abstract

This chapter advances three main points: 1) the critical rediscovery of Pietro Aretino in the twentieth century by Guillaume Apollinaire, 2) a close examination of the link between Aretino and the Marquis de Sade with respect to the portrayal of sexual violence, and 3) an analysis of the work Vénus dans le cloître (Venus in the Cloister). This latter narrative serves as an intermediate text that bridges the gap between Aretino and Sade within the continuum of obscene literature in early modern France. The notion of obscenity as it applies to these works is one where licentiousness traditionally portrayed hors scène (out of sight) is transformed to where it is now mise en scène (in plain sight). Apollinaire’s view of obscenity in Aretino is represented in terms of literary sophistication, whereas Sade imitates Aretino’s depiction of both ecclesiastical hypocrisy and brutality in the natural world. Vénus dans le cloître reflects the hypersexualized world of priests and nuns portrayed in Aretino, but breaks from the Italian master by actually defending genuine faith in God and in making the case for sincere, legitimate love. Vénus is best seen as a kind of humanistic text highlighting the faults and merits of human sexuality.