A novel of a compulsive masturbator. Charlot, the son of sex worker and an alcoholic, discovers masturbation after his father's funeral. He is sent to a Catholic order and school pervaded by homosexuality. When he graduates into the army, his interest shifts to women, and he attempts a disastrous marriage which ends in his suicide.

A hugely scandalous and popular book that flew through about five reprints in two weeks. Bonnetain was sued for the book but acquitted in late 1884; editions after 1885 are expanded with further details of the trial.

Editions

• Bruxelles : Henrey Kistmaeckers (1883)
• Bruxelles : Henrey Kistmaeckers (1885) Edition augmented with a document relating to the trial judged by the Court of Assizes of Paris on December 27, 1884, and an opinion of the author.

Also see:

• "The Charlot s’amuse trial: onanism and the scandal of naturalist fiction" by Marco Wan in Masculinity and the Trials of Modern Fiction (2016). Routledge. (ISBN: 9781315544083)
• "Les Ensablés - 'Charlot s'amuse" de Paul Bonnetain (1858-1899): une curiosité naturaliste." (2014) by Herve Bel

Content & Trigger Warnings

ALCOHOLISM: The father of the protagonist is an alcoholic.

CHILD ABUSE: The protagonist's mother and a friar beats him.

DOMESTIC ABUSE: A man who sleeps with the protagonist's mother beats her.

RAPE: The protagonist is raped by an older friar. The protagonist contemplates raping girls.

SUICIDE: The protagonists commits suicide at the end of the novel.