Article — Vermeersch, On Forbidden Books
Article 9
Books which treat, narrate, or teach lascivious or obscene matters of set purpose, since account must be taken not only of faith, but also of morals, which are commonly easily corrupted by the reading of books of this sort, are altogether prohibited.
Scientific books are not treated
72. 1. Here there is no question of books which, for the sake of cultivating moral or medical science, hand down even those things which, concerning base matter, are useful to be known for this end. Those books are not to be rejected, although they are not to be run through by all.
Nor books speculatively against morals
Nor is there question of books which theoretically attack good morals, defending divorce, free loves, atheism;1 but, as Bouix says,2 books which practically oppose morals, or constitute "pornographic" letters: insofar as they "treat, narrate, or teach lascivious or obscene matters of set purpose."
What obscene things are
2. By obscene things understand things base to sight, namely those things which, when seen, of themselves excite a base (venereal) appetite.
To treat
They treat: those who handle obscene things in that manner by which lust is excited, thoughts which they call "practical" are suggested, and lingering delights concerning a base matter are suggested.
To narrate
They narrate: those who describe the same things or recount them historically with particular circumstances which represent a base image to the mind.
To teach
Or they teach: those who explain where, how base acts are performed, women are enticed, etc.
Of set purpose?
3. But it is necessary that books do this of set purpose: that is, by designed effort, "specially and with conceived intention," and in a notable part: whether an entire chapter is destined to these things, or whether here and there and not rarely (in French you would say: un peu partout) these things occur in the book. Hence, for example, the work En route of Huysmans is not condemned here, which, like many romantic works, narrates obscene things, but not of set purpose; but another work, Là-Bas, by the same author, is condemned.3
N.B. Whether base images are prohibited here
4. Obscene images, as we have said, are not touched here, except insofar as they are part of a book treating or teaching obscene things of set purpose. Hollweck, cited work, p. 32, citing Boudinhon.
Rigor of the prohibition
5. So absolute is the prohibition that a positive faculty is never granted; but, on the contrary, in faculties for reading prohibited works, if you except only those which are communicated to Cardinals, works which treat obscene things of set purpose are always excepted. Yet that severity of prohibition is tempered by article 10. Cf. also, to complete the doctrine concerning obscene books, those things which are contained above (n. 29, d, at the end), and below, article 25 and article 46.
1 From this clause, I say; for cf. articles 2 and 14 of the Constitution.
2 De curia romana, p. 387.
3 On these cf. Hollweck, Das kirchl. Bücherverbot, p. 51; Pennacchi, cited work, n. 47; Planchard, Rev. Théol. Fr., 1897, pp. 33, 34.