Projet d'une loi portant défense d'apprendre à lire aux femmes

Presented as a formal decree from Paris in 1801, this work pretends to be a legislative proposal addressed to heads of household, fathers and husbands. It outlines a mock law that would forbid women from learning to read, complete with articles, a short poem and an alphabetical index. The language mimics official statutes, giving the satire an air of solemn authority.

Beneath the formal veneer lies a sharp parody of early‑modern gender politics, ridiculing the claim that literacy would corrupt feminine virtue. Each absurd “consideration” argues that love, motherhood and piety exist without the alphabet and that books threaten a woman’s natural innocence. Listeners will enjoy the witty blend of historical mimicry and incisive social critique, exposing the contradictions of a society that used protection as a pretext for denial.