Juliette

Marquis de Sade

Sep 2018 · Open Road + Grove/Atlantic

About this ebook

"An amazing sequence of imaginatively bizarre sexual adventures punctuated by philosophical and theological digression." — Library Journal

"'Twas at Panthemont we were brought up, Justine and I, there that we received our education."

Marquis de Sade's 1797 masterpiece contrasts the erotic adventures of the title character, an amoral nymphomaniac murderer who is nevertheless successful and happy, with her sister Justine, a virtuous woman who encounters nothing but despair and abuse.

"The Marquis is a missionary. He has written a new religion. Juliette is one of the holy books." — The New York Times Book Review

"It is not necessary to take the Marquis seriously as a philosopher of total freedom, as some do, in order to relish the imagination and talent that went into the gilding nuggets of naughtiness contained here." — Playboy

Ratings and reviews

Free will is a lie, like God, so it doesn't matter what you do anyway. Nature insists that you enjoy yourself, no matter the consequences, so you should do this. That's pretty much the philosophical/moral gist of this book. It's a very interesting artifact, very grotesque. If you're religious and also not very liberal, it's doubtful you'll make it through this book anyway but if you did, you might not be the same person. Loved it!!!!!!

About the author

The Marquis de Sade was born in Paris, France in 1740. He fought in the French Army during the Seven Years War before he was tried and sentenced to death in 1772 for a series of sexual crimes. He escaped to Italy, but upon his return to France in 1777, he was recaptured and thrown into the prison at Vincennes. De Sade spent six years at Vincennes before being transferred to the Bastille, then to Charenton, a lunatic asylum, in 1789. He was released from the asylum a year later but was arrested again in 1801. He was moved from prison to prison before returning to Charenton in 1803, where he later died in 1814. A French novelist and playwright, de Sade is largely known for his pathological sexual views and ethical nihilism. His works include Justine, Philosophy in the Bedroom, Juliette, and Aline and Valcourt, Or The Philosophic Novel.