Abstract: In Molière’s Le Misanthrope, what is the object of the reference to the “abominable book” Alceste is accused of being the author of? Several keys have been suggested for this passage. We review them and propose an additional one (the clandestine edition of Boileau’s Satires) to situate the play in the great satirical year of classical literature: placed in the context of the works published in 1666 and the debates that they have aroused, Le Misanthrope reads like a metasatirical comedy.
