Abstract

The subject of censorship of printed images has not received as much attention as that of censorship of texts, at least as far as the historical states of Italy are concerned. The aim of this essay is therefore to contribute to this line of research, starting with the publishing history of Storia delle immaginazioni stravaganti del Signor Oufle, a successful work by Laurent Bordelon first published in France and then translated and published in various countries including the Serenissima, in which a form of self-censorship suggested the removal of images of witches and devils. The article investigates the reasons for this, in the light of the particular cultural and religious context of the time