The Devil in the Holy Water, or the Art of Slander from Louis XIV to Napoleon

France and Culture

by Robert Darnton

Slander has always been a nasty business, Robert Darnton notes, but that is no reason to consider it a topic unworthy of inquiry. By destroying reputations, it has often helped to delegitimize regimes and bring down governments. Nowhere has this been more the case than in eighteenth-century France, when a ragtag group of literary libelers flooded the market with works that purported to expose the wicked behavior of the great. Salacious or seditious, outrageous or hilarious, their books and pamphlets claimed to reveal the secret doings of kings and their mistresses, the lewd and extravagant activities of an unpopular foreign-born queen, and the affairs of aristocrats and men-about-town as they consorted with servants, monks, and dancing masters. These libels often mixed scandal with detailed accounts of contemporary history and current politics. And though they are now largely forgotten, many sold as well as or better than some of the most famous works of the Enlightenment. In The Devil in the Holy Water , Darnton—winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for his Forbidden Best-Sellers of Pre-Revolutionary France and author of his own best-sellers, The Great Cat Massacre and George Washington's False Teeth —offers a startling new perspective on the origins of the French Revolution and the development of a revolutionary political culture in the years after 1789. He opens with an account of the colony of French refugees in London who churned out slanderous attacks on public figures in Versailles and of the secret agents sent over from Paris to squelch them. The libelers were not above extorting money for pretending to destroy the print runs of books they had duped the government agents into believing existed; the agents were not above recognizing the lucrative nature of such activities—and changing sides. As the Revolution gave way to the Terror, Darnton demonstrates, the substance of libels changed while the form remained much the same. With the wit and erudition that has made him one of the world's most eminent historians of eighteenth-century France, he here weaves a tale so full of intrigue that it may seem too extravagant to be true, although all its details can be confirmed in the archives of the French police and diplomatic service. Part detective story, part revolutionary history, The Devil in the Holy Water has much to tell us about the nature of authorship and the book trade, about Grub Street journalism and the shaping of public opinion, and about the important work that scurrilous words have done in many times and places.

Genres: History, France, Nonfiction

552 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2009

About the author

Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and Director of the Harvard University Library

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Robert Darnton investigates the process of spreading slander during the 18th century, from harmless riddles to full libels, as well as the motives which led authors to do so, whether they be entertainment for friends or means of a quick fortune.

He uses vivid examples of the gossip in print at the time, however, you will find the process of actually producing those illegal texts and having them successfully circulate just as interesting.

Darnton’s objectives are history first, followed by devices used and effects of production. Who were the fathers of eighteenth century slander? We are introduced to La Gazetier cuirassé, (a best-seller) the author of which stands behind the safety of "anonymous". Later authors would use anonymity for extortion of the noblesse. The libels were filled with amusing features such as puzzles, obscure codes for names and even lewd images of well known personages. The resulting publications were often very crude in language yet hours of entertainment for the audience.

My full review is here!

[Diego Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente pesquisa. Percebe-se que a prosa do Darnton varia de qualidade a depender do material sobre o qual ele vem estudando (se mais enfadonho ou mais narrativo). "O diabo em água benta" definitivamente acompanha bem as tramóias e difamações apresentadas em um texto muito bem estudado e destrinchado.

Conhecer sobre a história dos libelos, em alguma medida, é ter uma visão mais completa e complexa da literatura, essa entidade artística que muitas vezes tenta excluir o feio, o infame e o cômico de sua história.


Duas coisas me incomodaram um pouco: 1) o livro chega a ser um pouco (pouco mesmo) repetitivo as vezes; e 2) apesar de ter Napoleão no título o general é citado uma única vez em todo o calhamaço.

Os incômodos são compensados pela prosa de Darnton, no entanto. Recomendo.

[Jeffrey Greggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Top-flight academic history. Darnton, as usual, is in masterful command of his subject. The comparison between the libelle and blogging--presumably made for dust-jacket sexifying--is a bit of question-begging, but as a study of censorship in a highly literate society and public opinion in pre-Revolutionary France the book is fantastic.

[Miguel]

Partially read