Jean Barrin
Jean Barrin was a 17th-century French priest and writer, born in 1640, who is primarily known for his controversial work in the realm of historical erotica. His most notable contribution to literature is his novel "Venus dans le cloître: Ou, La Religieuse en chemise," published in 1683, which explores themes of sexuality within a nunnery setting. Through the characters of Sister Angela and Sister Agnes, Barrin delves into both lesbian and heterosexual experiences, challenging the conventions of his time by juxtaposing religious themes with erotic dialogue.
Despite the provocative nature of his writing, Barrin's legacy is complex and somewhat obscured, as he does not appear in many standard literary references. His work gained notoriety upon its translation into English, particularly in a context of growing anti-Catholic sentiment, leading to legal challenges for those who published it. Barrin also engaged in translation, rendering Ovid’s works into French, and he may have contributed to notable literary journals of his era. He passed away in 1718, leaving behind a single novel that marks a significant moment in the development of modern erotic literature.
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Jean Barrin
Fiction Writer
- Born: 1640
- Birthplace: France
- Died: 1718
Biography
Very little is known about the life of Jean Barrin, and his name does not appear in standard reference books about French writers. His significance lies in the niche market of historical erotica, or pornographic writing, depending upon how his writing is viewed. His sole novel is among a handful of books published in the mid- to late seventeenth century that mark the beginning of the modern erotic literary genre.
Barrin was born in France in 1640. He entered the Roman Catholic Church as a priest and for a while was prior of Boulais, ending his career as vicar general of the bishopric of Nantes. It is unclear how much church authorities knew about his writing, and while he wrote under the pseudonym L’Abbé du Prat, his real name certainly was known to his English translators.
Barrin’s claim to literary fame, or notoriety, lies in one book, Venus dans le cloître: Ou, La Religieuse en chemise, first published in 1683 and reprinted 1692; the book was translated into English as Venus in the Cloister: Or, The Nun in Her Smock. This book has been categorized as a “whore dialogue,” in which one woman is talking to another about her sexual knowledge and experience. While this description may apply, Barrin’s book takes place in a nunnery, where Sister Angela initiates a young nun, Sister Agnes, into the secrets of both lesbianism and heterosexuality that occur in her cloister. It was presumably this religious layer over the “whore dialogue” that gave the book its notoriety, especially when it was translated into English.
The subtext to Sister Angela’s account is a saint’s life, that of Saint Alexis, who was reputed to have been so untouched by the pleasures of the flesh that even on his wedding night, in the face of a beautiful bride, he was able to maintain his chastity. One of the other nuns in the convent, Sister Dosithea, had sought inspiration from the saint’s life, but to no avail. Thereupon, the pleasures of the flesh are described and famous poets of the past, including the Greek poetess, Sappho, and the Roman poet, Ovid, are quoted to celebrate it.
It is not entirely clear when the book was translated into English, as printings were privately printed and circulated and most copies were destroyed. Some scholars believe the first English- language printing was in 1683, the same year the original book was published; others argue it was 1719. However, the most common opinion is that Edmund Curll produced the first English version of the book in 1724. Certainly, in 1725 Curll was brought before the magistrates for printing the book, and he was quickly found guilty. However, his case dragged on until 1728 because it was by no means clear what crime he was guilty of committing. In the end, a judge held that although Curll had committed a great offense, he had not broken any specific law. The case was argued that Barrin was in fact exposing the falsity and hypocrisies of Roman Catholicism, and therefore the book could only be held as obscene rather than pornographic. In a fiercely anti-Catholic country like England, this argument held some force.
Barrin also translated Ovid’s letters from the Latin as Traduction des élégies amoureuses d’Ovide en vers françois He may also have contributed to Nouvelles de la république des lettres, one of the best of the early French literary journals. He died in 1718.