"impressive study of the figures of erotic discourse" a "welcome publication on one of the most neglected of literary genres." "Encyclopedic in dimensions" (…) "Brulotte offers his readers intelligent and detailed analysis of not merely literary critical, but also philosophical and socio-historical interest.""their manner of representation (the erotic works’) is analysed here in depth for the first time. (…) In both scope and approach, this new ars erotica constitutes a unique resource for interested scholars. Dedicated to the memory of Roland Barthes, it is also, fittingly, a real pleasure to read." John Phillips, Modern Language Review 96.1(2001): 212-213 Londres, Grande Bretagne.
"Other critics in recent decades have undertaken universal histories of erotic writing, in French and in English, attempting, as Brulotte does, to undo the work of censorship and to draw attention to a range of more-or-less disreputable texts. (…) The fact is, however, that Brulotte’s text is far more learned, more complex, and more engaging than any of its predecessors. None of them has done its work as well as his." Peter Cryle, AUMLA (Journal of the Australian Universities Modern Language and Literature Association) 93(May 2000) : 125-127.
"In response to much of the current work on erotic discourse, which tends to highlight only one particular period, author, or theme, Brulotte sets as his goal the presentation of a larger, more integrated view of what he calls "la littérature érographique." (...) The project is fascinating but it is the organization of the work itself that is perharps its most interesting feature. (...) The result of this detailed categorization is the creation of a vaste catalogue of erotic discourse (...) The depth and breadth of Brulotte's reading is apparent in the immense quantity of texts under examination. The manner in which he draws bits and pieces from this entire range of works to create thematic discussions of excess, letters, orgies, reflections, or rest (to name but a few more of his topics), is intriguing, and will stimulate many readers' inrerest in pursuing further some of the ideas he presents." Scott Manning, French Review (USA) 75.1 (October 2001): 153-154.
"A work that is out of the ordinary (…) a magistral essay, which will be a milestone (…) a major encyclopedia, which is exceptionally dense, well written, articulated in a most original fashion and decently libertine. (…) The amount of knowledge that this text supports, the elegance of its exposition, the novelty of approaches and the lexical appropriation of the discourse, all are intermingled in an impressive manner. (…) How can one not make his breviary out of this voluptuary! (…) The case is closed, out of "hell," Brulotte asserts himself as a devil of a writer." Pierre Lexert, Les Cahiers du ru (Aoste, Italy) 33, Summer 1999, p. 121-122.
"A magistral work on the delicate subject of eroticism (…) The work of Brulotte is now a paper giant, the product of a mature man who is well-advised and cultured. It will be a milestone, no doubt about it. Already, it is, I believe, absolutely essential for anyone who is interested in these works of the flesh." Muriel Walker, LittéRéalité [Toronto] XI.2 Fall 1999, p. 91-92.
"At the very start, the reader perceives Œuvres de chair as a monumental work. (…) raving comments from Barthes, Kristeva and Bellemin-Noël are announcing a smart and elegant way of writing, an original approach, an acute sense of classification, and an accurate understanding of its subject. On top of that, the author’s erudition, the flavor of his language, the profound knowledge of the texts, his reading method and the theoretical apparel on which he bases his analysis, along with the wide scope of the body works retained, all of this confers to this study a dimension that forces the reader, driven by a real pleasure, to hold his breath. (...) a prowess (…) A very rich book, Œuvres de chair could almost be read as a bedside book.” Claudine Potvin, University of Toronto Quarterly 70.1 (Winter 2000-01).
"Demonstrates without neither clumsiness nor pedantry, thanks to a perfectly mastered theoretical basement, that the texts he calls erographic (…) have contributed a lot to literature. (…) This book is smartly written, it has not only a strong body but also a beautiful soul." Nicole Bajulaz-Fessler, Encres vagabondes, Paris, No 16, March 1999, p.57.
"It is a comprehensive work. (…) The author treats his subject in
a rigorous fashion as well as elegant style. Eroticism, this "basic problem
of all," is here captured in all its slightest aspects" Béatrice
Fink, Dix-huitième siècle, Paris, Presses Universitaires
de France, 1999.
"A serious and interesting book on a hot topic, of a reading that becomes
easy because of its organization in analytical fragments." Florence Montreynaud,
AFJ Livres, Paris, April 1999.
"The project does not lack ambition or originality. (…) Nothing seems to have escaped to Brulotte in the staging of the erotic body by the text. (…) The erography invents a leisure society of endless pleasure: that is the ultimate discovery of this essay which is as original as it is playful and gives us the keys to a literature that is not well-known." Francine Bordeleau, Spirale (Montreal, Canada) Nov.-Dec. 1999, p. 7-8.
"A monumental work (…) a very erudite study (…) the first of its kind in literature (…) a true travel in time, in the bedrooms and bathrooms of our ancestors. The study of erotic texts brings about historical information on hygiene, clothing, and perception of nudity, sexual activities, private live and censorship. Brulotte succeeded in bringing into light amazing passages of some respected authors, but also makes us discover authors that are unknown or had been ignored." Jacques-Normand Sauvé, Multimédi-Art, Radio-Canada, October 1999.
"The work of Brulotte is a most precious one, it brings to light the innovating aspects of the most accomplished erotic works, and consequently, their considerable contribution to literature." Francine Bordeleau, Lettres québécoises, Montreal, 94, Summer 1999, p. 49.
"A fascinating essay on one the least analyzed literary genres. (…)
The work astonishes by its originality (…) could very well become a bedside
book… And what poetry he is putting in his reflections!" Martin Francoeur,
Le Nouvelliste, Trois-Rivières (Québec) Feb. 13, 1999, P-7
"Very interesting (...) the work is like a great "Voluptuary" (...) its goal is not to define eroticism or elaborate a philosophy of sexuality but to see what has been said of the erotic body in fiction. In short, to examine how sex is put into discourse and how the human being is constructing his erotic imagery." Lise Lachance, Le Soleil, Feb. 7, 1999, B-16.
"He is interested in the literary quality as much as the philosophical reflections that this literature raises - since the study of erotic literature turns into a history of mores, sexuality, censorship, private life, hygiene, clothing and the whole relationships to the body, in fact it turns into a complete cultural and social history, which also is the history of erotic discourse itself." Contact, Québec, Fall 1999, p. 17.
"Brulotte is a science well in here, a scholar of such an erudition that it could throw the other literary experts into the shade, even more so with the experts in erotic literature. We go through the most major texts, which we scrutinize with the author thanks to a reading method of his invention, the most modern one, with the result that at each chapter the reader is astonished of the richness of works that he thought he knew. The sheer volume of erotic texts is challenging in itself but the author succeeds in convincing us of his selection and the relevance of each of his references; even more so since he cleverly accompanies himself with all the most well-regarded scholarly celebrities to review them with us. We come out of this exercise with the desire to go deeper into it. It is a firework." Jacques Desautels, Dean, College of Letters and Reading Commitee of Laval UP.
"I was impressed by two qualities of your work: the writing skills, the elegance of the writing, the flexibility of the writing (…). And another extremely important aspect, which is characteristic of your work, it’s your sense of system, your sense of catalogue (…). You are a great classifier." Julia Kristeva, Paris
"I was sensitive to the perfection and the achievement of your work, which craate a real pleasure. (…) It is a wonderful panoptical machinery, or rather poly-optical. (…) It is vertiginous writing. And the vertiginous, I think that it was as a matter of fact one possible way, and maybe one of the necessary ways, even the only one possible, of talking about a discourse or a set of texts which constantly also play with vertigo. And this vertiginous aspect, you did not master it, because then you would have killed it and it would have been a pity, you did not submit yourself to it either, otherwise your discourse would not be legible, but you have managed it with a skillfulness that I am thankful for and for which I am commanding you." Jean Bellemin-Noël, Paris
"Your book demands a global reading and savor. (…) I sincerely admire the whole in one piece. There is the elegance of your writing. There is a taste and an inventiveness of the signifier. There is the intelligence of the conception. There is the respect of the book as an object precisely, a sense of the book-object that is well fantasized (…) All your readings are naturally elegant. (…) The organization of your work is at the same time a rational and subtle organization. (…) What is very good, very original and really achieved, it is the balanced proportion of liberty and exactness. (…) It’s very beautiful." Roland Barthes, Paris.