The article considers the 1956 trial of the publisher Jean-Jacques Pauvert on the charge of an outrage against public morals. Pauvert decided to openly publish Marquis de Sade’s papers. The prosecution arguments, the responses of the publisher and of the witnesses for the defense – J. Paulhan, G. B ataille, J. Cocteau and A. B reton – are analyzed on the ground of the documents.
Metalepsis, the transition from one narrative level to another, is used by Marquis de Sade to expound his philosophical ideas, confirm the authenticity of facts, enter into dispute with Enlightenment’s ideology. The article analyzes the metaleptic function of the author’s notes in de Sade’s novels.
