Chwasty w herbarzu, czyli „Poczet herbów” nie(dokładnie) wyplewiony. Wacława Potockiego sposoby na obejście cenzury
The Weeds in the Heraldry Book – 'Poczet herbów' Not(Entirely) 'Weeded out': Wacław Potocki’s Censorship Evasion Strategies

Summary/Abstract: This article discusses obscene poems found in the collection 'Poczet herbów' ['The Book of Heraldry'] by Wacław Potocki and the strategies the author employs to divert censor’s attention and thus prevent the naughty epigrams from being censored. When writing about eroticism, the poet focuses predominantly on the moralistic dimension of the texts and apart from a few exceptions, sexual allusions are not overly explicit owing to skillful periphrases, euphemisms, and metaphorical language and what is more, they are lost in a maze of Potocki’s eruditionand, for good measure, some of the most inappropriate topics are simply left unsaid. Also, Potocki avoids excessive criticism of the lasciviousness of the clergy. And the final strategy Potocki makes use of to prevent censorship is that explicit texts are not found at the beginning, but further on in the extensive collection and towards its end.

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