Why did the Sorbonne and the Parlement of Paris condemn Le Quart Livre?

The Sorbonne and the Parlement of Paris condemned Le Quart Livre (1552) primarily due to the elements of religious satire and scatological humor present in the work, which left François Rabelais open to charges of heresy and persecution.12

Throughout his career, Rabelais used his comic novels to ridicule the follies and superstitions of his time, including the religious and political forces that were causing conflict within 16th-century Christendom. Because these works often challenged established authorities and religious orthodoxy, they were frequently targeted by the Sorbonne and the Parlement of Paris, which held significant power over ecclesiastical discipline and the regulation of literature. Despite the work receiving a royal privilège (a license to print), these institutions moved to ban it, though Rabelais was eventually able to have the censorship lifted through the intervention of his powerful political and ecclesiastical patrons.3145