Through the prism of sexuality the author makes a convincing case that in the aftermath of the French religious wars, French authorities sought to create a new order in which prescriptions and the disposition of the body worked to discipline and rein individuals within a variety of institutions ranging from the family to the church.

"A rich, detailed, and synthetic treatment....A valuable work with its theoretical framework, exhaustive detail, careful documentation, and extensive 42-page bibliography. Recommended for those interested in early modern and family history."--CHOICE "Farr's handling of old regime judicial records is masterful, and his detailed knowledge of Burgundian life allows him to make sense out of even the most fragmentary court case. In general, there is much here for seventeenth-century historians to learn and ponder."--American Historical Review "[A] comprehensive and incisive study...[I]t is Farr's precision and eye for detail that gives these stories their power...This is a solid and thought-provoking book."--Journal of the History of Sexuality "An excellent book and a good read."--Religious Studies Review "[S]teeped in the judicial archives of Burgundy and richly illustrated with the voices of contemporaries found in religious treatises, legal codes, and litigation."--Law and History Review "[This work] shows a great depth of learning and unwillingness to settle for simplistic assessments. It should serve as an interpretive model and research guide to scholars interested in social history, the Counter Reformation, sexuality, and gender."--Renaissance Quarterly