Marquis de Sade

Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, better known as the Marquis de Sade (pronounced "saad"; June 2, 1740 – December 2, 1814), was a French aristocrat and writer of philosophy-laden and often violent pornography, as well as some strictly philosophical works; much of his writing was done while in prison. His name is the source of the word sadism.

Literary works

Much of Sade's work was written whilst held under Lettre de cachet in the Bastille, Charenton and Saint Pelagie mental institution. Sade was known to host theatrical performances at his home in La Coste but a wider success and acceptence of his work was never achieved in his lifetime. In 1782 he completed Dialogue Between a Priest and a Dying Man, expressing his atheism by having the dying libertine convince the priest of the mistakes of a pious life. The novel The 120 Days of Sodom was written in 1785 and describes a wide variety of sexual perversions performed on a group of enslaved teenagers. In 1787 he wrote Les infortunes de la vertu, an early version of Justine which was published in 1791. It describes the misfortunes of a girl who continues to believe in the goodness of God despite evidence to the contrary. The companion novel Juliette (1798) narrates the adventures of Justine's sister, Juliette, who chooses to reject the teachings of the church and adopt an amoral hedonist philosophy. In Aline and Valcour (1795) he contrasts a brutal African kingdom with a utopian island paradise. Other works are Flourvil et Courval and Crimes of Love (1800) as well as a number of plays. Considered by scholars Sade's most seminal contribution to art, Philosophy in the Bedroom accounts the lascivious education of a privileged young lady at the dawn of womanhood. The play is concise, witty and engaging and archetypal Sadean characters are, here, used most effectively.

Related Topics:
Lettre de cachet - Bastille - La Coste - 1782 - Dialogue Between a Priest and a Dying Man - Atheism - The 120 Days of Sodom - Les infortunes de la vertu - God - Juliette - Hedonist - Aline and Valcour - Philosophy in the Bedroom

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De Sade's works contain explicit and often repetitive descriptions of rape and countless sexual perversions, many of which involve violence and transcend the boundaries of the possible. Sade's libertines founded their philosophy on a purposeful flouting of moral norms and a hatred of religious ethics. Even his most blatantly perverse novels focus more on the philosophy and rationalization behind the actions than on the actions themselves.

Related Topics:
Rape - Perversion

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