Harper Perennial Forbidden Classics - Justine
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Product Description
Product Description
‘Justine’ was the Marquis de Sade's first novella, written in 1787, whilst imprisoned for two weeks in the Bastille. Although published anonymously, de Sade was eventually indicted for blasphemy and obscenity (without trial) for the authorship of ‘Justine’ at the behest of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Who suffers in the pursuit of desire?
The Countess de Lorsange reveals her history, in a tavern, to a young woman named Therese; where a young girl and her sister fight a battle of morality. Set in a period before the French Revolution, Justine shows the battle of virtue versus vice, where earning your keep takes on fresh connotations, and a titled lady holds a lifetime of illicit secrets.
About the Author
The Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, revolutionary and writer of violent pornography. Incarcerated for 32 years of his life (in prisons and asylums), the majority of his output was written from behind bars. Famed for his graphic depiction of cruelty within classic titles such as ‘Crimes of Love’ and ‘One Hundred Days of Sodom’, de Sade's name was adopted as a clinical term for the sexual fetish known as ‘sadism’.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I must admit that it has been years since I last read this tale, so it was good to get round to re-reading it once again with this edition. The writing of this, which is the extended version that de Sade wrote of his original novella, and Juliette, meant that de Sade was once again imprisoned. Personally I always classify de Sade's writing into three catergories, extreme, moderate and mainstream (which are usually short stories). This tale I would place in moderate.
Justine does have a subtitle, The Misfortunes of Virtue, and that is indeed what the whole story is about. Brought up as a devout Catholic Justine wishes to always do the good and right thing, and values her chastity. But in a pre-Revolutionary world, where the Church is corrupt and the rich and powerful can get away more or less with anything, she finds that her ideas of right living aren't others. Witnessing flagellation, incest, gay sex and other crimes, both sexual and of a more material type, Justine finds herself falsely accused of murders and theft. But when Justine takes refuge in a monastery can she still keep hold of her virginity, or will others prove stronger?
As with most of de Sade's writings he takes things to the extreme to get a point over, so as well as this being a black comedy it also contains some of his thoughts and ideas of politics and philosophy. This is also a biting satire on the Catholic Church.
Justine does have a subtitle, The Misfortunes of Virtue, and that is indeed what the whole story is about. Brought up as a devout Catholic Justine wishes to always do the good and right thing, and values her chastity. But in a pre-Revolutionary world, where the Church is corrupt and the rich and powerful can get away more or less with anything, she finds that her ideas of right living aren't others. Witnessing flagellation, incest, gay sex and other crimes, both sexual and of a more material type, Justine finds herself falsely accused of murders and theft. But when Justine takes refuge in a monastery can she still keep hold of her virginity, or will others prove stronger?
As with most of de Sade's writings he takes things to the extreme to get a point over, so as well as this being a black comedy it also contains some of his thoughts and ideas of politics and philosophy. This is also a biting satire on the Catholic Church.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Interesting how a man's fantasies can be evaluated academically or just curiously. I read for academic purposes but found it interesting from a psychological perspective. Weird how the mind works. Still, a shocker for the time it was written.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A brilliant expose of power and its impact upon bodies. De Sade details the lives of two sisters Justine and Juliette. This was his shredding of morality as it was then bleated by the Catholic Church. He dissected the violence and double standards as Justine journeys throughout the novel from one disaster to another.
De Sade shows the mindset of Josef Fritzl centuries before he was born. He exposes power and its linkages to sexual orgasm as form of release like no other author. The sexual thrill is bound within the need to exercise power, subjugating and humiliating the victim. Pure Justine is the vehicle for De Sade to show how those who cling to morality are asking to be used, tortured and castigated. The scenarios flow with knights gallant offering their services in order to betray.
It is unremitting but a light read compared to 120 Days of Sodom. Juliette the sister book is the hard lubricious masturbatory fantasy of sexual anhilation. This is a more philosophical dissection of his beliefs around power, morality, psychology and double standards.
It still resonates and should not be ignored.
De Sade shows the mindset of Josef Fritzl centuries before he was born. He exposes power and its linkages to sexual orgasm as form of release like no other author. The sexual thrill is bound within the need to exercise power, subjugating and humiliating the victim. Pure Justine is the vehicle for De Sade to show how those who cling to morality are asking to be used, tortured and castigated. The scenarios flow with knights gallant offering their services in order to betray.
It is unremitting but a light read compared to 120 Days of Sodom. Juliette the sister book is the hard lubricious masturbatory fantasy of sexual anhilation. This is a more philosophical dissection of his beliefs around power, morality, psychology and double standards.
It still resonates and should not be ignored.
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