Dr. Iwan Bloch Marquis de Sade: His Life and Work (1899) Translated by James Bruce Digitized and typeset by Supervert 32C Inc. © 2002 For more information, please visit supervert.com CONTENTS THE AGE OF MARQUIS DE SADE..........................................................................................................3 General Character of the Eighteenth Century in France........................................................................3 French Philosophy................................................................................................................................5 French Royalty in the Eighteenth Century.............................................................................................6 Nobility and Clergy................................................................................................................................9 Paris Police Reports on the Immorality of the Clergy...........................................................................10 The Jesuits.........................................................................................................................................16 The Black Mass..................................................................................................................................17 Convents............................................................................................................................................22 Woman...............................................................................................................................................23 The Erotic Literature...........................................................................................................................27 Art......................................................................................................................................................33 Fashion..............................................................................................................................................36 Bordellos and Secret Pornologic Clubs...............................................................................................37 The Prostitutes...................................................................................................................................44 The Palais Royal and Other Public Places for Prostitution...................................................................50 Onanism.............................................................................................................................................54 Tribadism............................................................................................................................................55 Pederasty...........................................................................................................................................60 Flagellation and Phlebotomy..............................................................................................................62 Aphrodisiacs, Cosmetics, Abortions and Quackeries...........................................................................64 Gastronomy and Alcoholism...............................................................................................................69 Crime and Murder...............................................................................................................................70 Poisoning...........................................................................................................................................71 Public Executions...............................................................................................................................72 Ethnological and Historical Examples..................................................................................................76 Conditions in Italy...............................................................................................................................79 THE LIFE OF MARQUIS DE SADE........................................................................................................82 His Ancestors.....................................................................................................................................82 The Childhood of Marquis de Sade....................................................................................................84 Youth.................................................................................................................................................85 His Prison Life....................................................................................................................................87 Imprisonment in Vincennes and in the Bastille....................................................................................90 Participation in the Revolution and Literary Activity.............................................................................92 His Death...........................................................................................................................................96 THE WORKS OF MARQUIS DE SADE...................................................................................................97 Justine and Juliette............................................................................................................................97 The Preface.......................................................................................................................................97 Analysis of Justine..............................................................................................................................98 Analysis of Juliette............................................................................................................................102 Philosophy in the Boudoir.................................................................................................................113 Other Works of Marquis de Sade......................................................................................................114 Character of the Works of Marquis de Sade......................................................................................116 The Philosophy of Marquis de Sade.................................................................................................116 THEORY AND HISTORY OF SADISM..................................................................................................124 Introduction......................................................................................................................................124 Anthropophagy and Hypochorematophily.........................................................................................125 Other Sexuo-Pathlogic Types of De Sade........................................................................................126 Arrangement of Erotic Individualities.................................................................................................127 Lying and Sexual Perversions..........................................................................................................128 De Sade’s View of the Nature of Sexual Perversions........................................................................129 Definition of Sadism..........................................................................................................................130 Judgment of De Sade According to His Life and Works....................................................................131 The Spread and Effect of Marquis de Sade’s Works.........................................................................134 Sadism in Literature..........................................................................................................................136 Some Sadistic Moral Crimes..............................................................................................................138 IWAN BLOCH • MARQUIS DE SADE: LIFE AND WORKS • DIGITIZATION BY SUPERVERT 32C INC. • supervert.com • p. 3- TOP • TOC • 3 • 4 THE AGE OF MARQUIS DE SADE General Character of the Eighteenth Century in France De Sade called the eighteenth century "the age of complete corruption" (Justine 1, 2) and in another place had Noirceuil say: "It is dangerous to desire to be virtuous in a corrupt century" (Juliette 1, 261). The consciousness of the general evil of the century was sufficiently impressed upon him as on others. Hegel in his Philosophy of History has the most pertinent expression for this epoch: "The whole state of France at that time was a dissolute aggregation of privileges against idea and reason; in general, a mad state with which, at the same time, was bound the highest depravity of morals and spirit—an empire of injustice with the growing consciousness of that state." The eighteenth century belongs to that frivolous era, whose essence was masterfully described by a student of Hegel, Kuno Fischer, in his Diotima: "Frivolous times are those which always conclude a moribund era and completely destroy the life of mankind so that it can start afresh." Fichte once called it "completed sinfulness." In all great turning points of history the traits of the different ages resemble one another. They are weakened and appear so flabby and impotent, that one despairs of new ones. And in fact, when an era has completely lived itself out, there remains from its customary life but the external