Succès de scandale
Succès de scandale (French for "success from scandal") is a term for any artistic work whose success is attributed, in whole or in part, to public controversy surrounding the work. In some cases the controversy causes audiences to seek out the work for its titillating content, while in others it simply heightens public curiosity. This concept is echoed by the phrase "there is no such thing as bad publicity". Section::::"Belle Époque". The "Belle Époque" ('beautiful era') in Paris, roughly from 1871–1914, was notable for many "succès de scandale". This was also where and when the term originated . In the examples below, artists started their careers with some sort of scandal, with some connection to turn-of-the-century Paris. In other cities, provoking a scandal appeared more risky, as Oscar Wilde found out shortly after his relatively "successful" Parisian scandal ("Salomé" in 1894, portraying the main character as a necrophile). Other examples. This was not the last time that Comstockery fanned the success it wanted to prohibit: "I expect it will be the making of me" said Mae West to the press in 1927, under arrest after the Society for the Suppression of Vice had maneuvered to  get her play titled ""Sex"" re-censored by the Police Department Play Jury. A few years later, when she was over 40 years old, her sex-symbol status paid off when her 1935 film contract made her the highest-paid woman to date. Films qualified as "succès de scandale" include Louis Malle's 1958 "The Lovers", and Bernardo Bertolucci's 1972 "Last Tango in Paris". Scandal also boosted the success of writers of modest talent. Even famous writers like Flaubert and Joyce have been described as deploying "succès de scandale" recipes to their advantage.