The Marquis de Sade is one of the most infamous men in all of history. His name, in fact, is where the word "sadism" is derived from. An infamous and perverse criminal, Sade was imprisoned for much of his life, where he had ample time to hone his talent for writing scandalous and mind-blowing erotic novels such as "Justine", "Juliette," and his magnum opus, "120 Days of Sodom". This book, "Adelaide of Brunswick," is one of Sade's historical novels, found among his papers after his death. It fully demonstrates the range and ability of a man whom history has vilified, but who was inarguably a philosopher, dramatist and author of the first magnitude.
Philosophy in the Bedroom accounts the lascivious education of a privileged young lady at the dawn of womanhood. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
When numerous critics have all pointed to the stunning mastery of dialogue evinced in [Sade's] novels, to say nothing of the truly theatrical disposition of many of the scenes-erotic or otherwise-this would seem to be linked to the theatrical obsession that persisted so disturbingly throughout his tempestuous existence. Shouldn't we therefore look more closely at this theatre...?" Annie Le Brun In commemoration of the two hundred years that have passed since the death of the Marquis de Sade in 1814, the three-volume series, Rape, Incest, Murder! The Marquis de Sade on Stage, offers English translations of all of Sade's writings, for and about the theatre, with introductions that contextualize Sade's work within the theatrical climate of eighteenth-century France. Volume 3 presents Sade's plays and occasional verse written at the Charenton Asylum during the reign of Napoleon. The lunatic asylum provided Sade with a creative freedom that allowed him not only to conceive his most innovative and original work, but to stage it as well, using actors from the asylum and the professional theatre. The violence and eroticism of Sade's infamous novels continue to be present in the plays, to such a degree that the asylum directors considered Sade's theatre to be a dangerous threat to the inmates. "[I]t is at the theatre rather than somewhere else that we must revive the almost extinguished flame of the love that every Frenchman owes his country; there is where he'll be convinced of the dangers that would exist for him should he fall back into the hands of tyranny. He'll carry home the enthusiasm and teach it to his family and its effects will be so much more durable, so much more passionate than the momentary inspirations of a newspaper article or proclamation because at the theatre, he learns the lesson by example, and he remembers it." The Marquis de Sade
The 1990s have seen a resurgence of interest in the Marquis de Sade, with several biographies competing to put their version of his life story before the public. But Sadean scholar Richard Seaver takes us directly to the source, translating Sade's prison correspondence. Seaver's translations retain the aristocratic hauteur of Sade's prose, which still possesses a clarity that any reader can appreciate. "When will my horrible situation cease?" he wrote to his wife shortly after his incarceration began in 1777. "When in God's name will I be let out of the tomb where I have been buried alive? There is nothing to equal the horror of my fate!" But he was never reduced to pleading for long, and not always so solicitous of his wife's feelings; a few years later, he would write, "This morning I received a fat letter from you that seemed endless. Please, I beg of you, don't go on at such length: do you believe that I have nothing better to do than to read your endless repetitions?" For those interested in learning about the man responsible for some of the most infamous philosophical fiction in history, Letters from Prison is an indispensable collection.
This volume contains Philosophy in the Bedroom, a major novel that presents the clearest summation of his political philosophy; Eugenie de Franval, a novella widely considered to be a masterpiece of eighteenth-century French literature; and the only authentic and complete American edition of his most famous work, Justine.
Those who have read other works by the Marquis de Sade, particularly "The 120 Days of Sodom," and are aware of the vast scope he gives to the word libertinism, will find a Sade this time more sensual than perverse. And this is not a negative factor; on the contrary, the Marquis's writing surprises with its quality and beauty. However, promiscuity is present throughout the work. His critique remains constantly aimed at holy women, virgins, and institutions such as the clergy and marriage, which led to his works being censored even a century after their publication. In this complete edition of "Contes Libertins," the reader will find 14 stories that represent an excellent sample of the irreverent, provocative, and boundless Marquis de Sade.
Available for the first time in English, the Marquis de Sade's Journey to Italy provides new insight into the early life and career of this famous radical libertine writer.
Written in 1782, the Marquis de Sade's DIALOGUE BETWEEN A PRIEST AND A DYING MAN (Dialogue entre un prêtre et un moribond) is a classic anti-clerical blast of radical atheism, expressing the loathing of religion and piety for which Sade was renowned. After a protracted debate, the priest succumbs to an orgy with six nude prostitutes. This special ebook edition also includes Sade's short story of clerical corruption, RETALIATION.
When numerous critics have all pointed to the stunning mastery of dialogue evinced in [Sade's] novels, to say nothing of the truly theatrical disposition of many of the scenes-erotic or otherwise-this would seem to be linked to the theatrical obsession that persisted so disturbingly throughout his tempestuous existence. Shouldn't we therefore look more closely at this theatre...?" Annie Le Brun In commemoration of the two hundred years that have passed since the death of the Marquis de Sade in 1814, the three-volume series, Rape, Incest, Murder! The Marquis de Sade on Stage, offers English translations of all of Sade's writings, for and about the theatre, with introductions that contextualize Sade's work within the theatrical climate of eighteenth-century France. Volume 2 presents Sade's plays written in prison during the years that preceded and immediately followed the fall of the Bastille in 1789. The revolutionary spirit of the time inspired Sade to pen his only tragedy, a music drama, and a comedy anticipating the Romantics, calling for a relaxation of the classical rules. The violence and eroticism of Sade's infamous novels are present in the plays, though in a lower dosage, obviously to render them accessible to public performance rather than private reading. "[I]t is at the theatre rather than somewhere else that we must revive the almost extinguished flame of the love that every Frenchman owes his country; there is where he'll be convinced of the dangers that would exist for him should he fall back into the hands of tyranny. He'll carry home the enthusiasm and teach it to his family and its effects will be so much more durable, so much more passionate than the momentary inspirations of a newspaper article or proclamation because at the theatre, he learns the lesson by example, and he remembers it." The Marquis de Sade
A collection of de Sade's stories utilizing gothic conventions and questioning sexual and societal mores The notorious author of pornographic novels and a sexual pervert who spent much of his life in prison and whose name was unmentionable in civilized circles, only in recent times has the Marquis come to be seen as misunderstood—essentially a moralist, his exploration of the so-called dark side of the human psyche remains as relevant to our society as it was to his own. This collection will provide an excellent introduction to Sade’s fiction; these accessible stories range from the dramatic novellaEugenie de Franval, in which a father’s criminal passion for his daughter leads to intrigue, abduction, and murder, to comic tales such asThe Husband Who Plays Priest, concerning a lecherous monk who finds an ingenious way to combine clerical duties with secular pleasures. De Sade’s gift as a humorist are much in evidence, as is his particular delight in unusual marital situations—which invariably lead to the most diverting conclusions.
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