Du « mot de gueule » aux « idées accessoires » Pierre Bayle et les obscénités libertines

When Bayle’s Dictionnaire was condemned by the Rotterdam Consistory, its first accusation was that of obscenity. Bayle’s response to the censors was highly satirical. It put into question the respective competencies of the different bodies of control and censorship, in order to defend the autonomy of the Republic of Letters. Displaying a strong reflexive dimension, it also questioned the functioning of language and reflects upon the topos of the obscene and its ambiguities.