Marquis De Sade did not directly say it, but here, we talk about how his need for writing erotic fiction may have derived from the Gothic genre of his time.
De Sade was born in 1740 and was a French philosopher and writer known for explicit sexual works. He became infamous for sexual cruelty in his writings and life. His first major offense was forcing a prostitute to use crosses during their sexual acts, which appeared blasphemous. The woman reported him to the police, leading to his arrest and imprisonment.
Literary criticism
The Marquis de Sade viewed Gothic fiction as a genre that relied heavily on magic and phantasmagoria. In his literary criticism Sade sought to prevent his fiction from being labeled “Gothic” by emphasizing Gothic’s supernatural aspects as the fundamental difference from themes in his own work. But while he sought this separation he believed the Gothic played a necessary role in society and discussed its roots and its uses. He wrote that the Gothic novel was a perfectly natural, predictable consequence of the revolutionary sentiments in Europe.
He theorized that the adversity of the period had rightfully caused Gothic writers to “look to hell for help in composing their alluring novels.” Sade held the work of writers Matthew Lewis and Ann Radcliffe high above other Gothic authors, praising the brilliant imagination of Radcliffe and pointing to Lewis’ The Monk as without question the genre’s best achievement. Sade nevertheless believed that the genre was at odds with itself, arguing that the supernatural elements within Gothic fiction created an inescapable dilemma for both its author and its readers.
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He argued that an author in this genre was forced to choose between elaborate explanations of the supernatural or no explanation at all and that in either case the reader was unavoidably rendered incredulous. Despite his celebration of The Monk, Sade believed that there was not a single Gothic novel that had been able to overcome these problems and that a Gothic novel that did would be universally regarded for its excellence in fiction.
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Many assume that Sade’s criticism of the Gothic novel is a reflection of his frustration with sweeping interpretations of works like Justine. His objections to the lack of verisimilitude in the Gothic may have been an attempt to present his own work as a better representation of the whole nature of man.
Since Sade professed that the ultimate goal of an author should be …
To accurately portray humanity, Sade’s effort to distinguish his work from Gothic novels emphasizes this belief. He felt his writing was better for this purpose because it was free from the supernatural nonsense that filled late 18th-century fiction.
Moreover, it is believed that Sade praised The Monk (which displays Ambrosio’s sacrifice of his humanity to his unrelenting sexual appetite) as the best Gothic novel chiefly because its themes were the closest to those within his own work.
Libertine Novels
Sade’s fiction has been classified under different genres, including pornography, Gothic, and baroque. Sade’s most famous books are often classified not as Gothic but as libertine novels and include the novels Justine, or the Misfortunes of Virtue; Juliette; The 120 Days of Sodom; and Philosophy in the Bedroom. These works challenge traditional perceptions of sexuality, religion, law, age, and gender.
His views on sexual violence, sadism, and pedophilia shocked even those familiar with the dark themes of Gothic novels in the late 18th century. Suffering is central, as readers often have to choose between feeling for the torturer or the victim. Although these works explore humanity’s dark side, they lack the magic and surreal elements typical of Gothic literature, which is why they are not classified in that genre.
Through the unreleased passions of his libertines,
Sade aimed to challenge the world deeply. In 120 Days, he sought to tell “the most impure tale ever written.” Although he intended to explore evil, his stories often became repetitive with sexual acts and justifications. Simone de Beauvoir and Georges Bataille noted that this repetition, while limiting his writing’s artistry, actually supported his individualist views.
The repetitive details of Justine’s abuse and her efforts to lead a virtuous Christian life might seem overly drawn-out at first glance. However, Sade skillfully balances the story with thoughtful reflections on personal and social morality, preventing readers from viewing it as mere cheap pornography or obscenity.
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Short fiction Sexual Acts
In The Crimes of Love, subtitled “Heroic and Tragic Tales”, Sade mixes romance and horror with Gothic elements. The story includes blood, bandits, corpses, and strong desires. Compared to Justine, Sade is less explicit here, focusing more on psychological themes than on eroticism and torture. The impact of sadism takes precedence over sadistic actions, contrasting with the more aggressive style found in his libertine works. The modern collection Gothic Tales features other short stories meant for Sade’s Contes et Fabliaux d’un Troubadour Provencal du XVIII Siecle.
An example is “Eugénie de Franval”,
a tale of incest and retribution. In its portrayal of conventional moralities, it is something of a departure from the erotic cruelties and moral ironies that dominate his libertine works. It opens with a domesticated approach:
To enlighten mankind and improve its morals is the only lesson which we offer in this story. In reading it, may the world discover how great is the peril which follows the footsteps of those who will stop at nothing to satisfy their desires.
Descriptions in Justine seem to anticipate Radcliffe’s scenery in The Mysteries of Udolpho and the vaults in The Italian, but, unlike these stories, there is no escape for Sade’s virtuous heroine, Justine. Unlike the milder Gothic fiction of Radcliffe, Sade’s protagonist is brutalized throughout and dies tragically.
To have a character like Justine, who is naked and tied to a wheel for abuse, would be shocking in the domestic Gothic fiction aimed at the bourgeoisie. Sade even creates a form of connection between Justine and her abusers, hinting at masochism in his main character.
This article was written by a dark fiction author, Willy Martinez, to be released on the Ritual Blog for Mind on Fire Books.
Author of dark fiction Mythology, “The Sigua” and short visceral fiction, “Flora.”
Willy Martinez is also featured in our anthology Mad Men, available for sale now.
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