The 120 Days of Sodom and Other Writings

Rating:
Summary: DeSade and the Metaphor of Closed in Spaces
Review: It has never been an easy task to approach DeSade and make intelligent analyses of him. His very subject matter has for centuries caused serious students of literature and philosophy to relegate him to the hinterlands of social and moral acceptability. There are those even today who wish to present him as a man whose moral message--however disgusting--deserves the kind of appraisal given to more mainstream writers. I have read JUSTINE, JULIETTE, and 120 DAYS OF SODOM--no easy task there--and I have concluded that his appeal lies primarily in those who wish to peek under the blanket of the usual norms of most societies to expose the darker side that surely inhabits the souls of those who already are likely to wish to plow through the thousands of pages of tortured prose that mirrors the tortured ideas therein. In other words, in a free society such as ours, writers ought to feel free to indulge their demented fantasies while being secure in the knowledge that most readers have neither the time, inclination, nor patience to visit a world that is an anti-life as any ever written about.

Those who know of DeSade only by reputation are only vaguely aware that his interests are thoroughly grounded in areas of sexual perversion and torture that have led to his name being held synonymous with the wish to maim, torment, and disgust. For those who have actually gone to the trouble to read his works and are familiar with the general tools of literary criticism, such readers soon enough recognize that his literary impact rests primarily on just the three works listed above. In each of these three, DeSade posits a universe of closed in spaces. Most often, the protagonist is one who is powerful, wealthy, dissolute, and eager to convince his unwilling victims--usually young females--that the God of the Bible and the benevolent Nature of Wordsworth is a fiction created by blind and cowardly writers who refuse to see that life is Darwinian to the extreme. All that matters, his protagonists urge relentlessly, is that life belongs to the strong and the only way to justify the existence of the strong is to prey on the weak. Much of this line of reasoning sounds suspiciously like the extended monologue that George Orwell put into the mouths of victim Winston Smith and torturer O'Brien in 1984. O'Brien's comment to Smith that the future of the human race could be seen as a boot stamping forever on a human face is one that DeSade might have heartily agreed with. In order for DeSade's various dissolute priest/noblemen/merchants to carry out their respective debaucheries, they must first have a place of safety. These places of safety are most often underground, in cavernous dungeons of churches or brothels. The victims are usually kidnap victims as in JUSTINE or prostitutes held in bondage as in 120 DAYS OF SODOM. It is only in closed in boxes that DeSade's protagonists feel safe enough not only to carry out their deeds unseen but these boxes also give them a forum to fulminate against a benevolent God/Nature that does no more than to ensure a steady supply of helpless women whose only purpose in life is to justify the unlimited power of those who can exercise that power only in the limited confines of those walled-off dungeons.

As for what goes on in those closed in spaces, one finds--at least in 120 DAYS OF SODOM--not so much a standard novel of plot, character, theme, and setting, but rather a cataloging of a greviously long list of sin and evil. The list of both tormentor and victim is so depressingly long that one has trouble keeping straight who is doing what to whom. Instead, what the reader finds is a nameless and nearly faceless catalog of willing and unwilling participants. The evil that DeSade holds up as inverted good has no lasting impact on tormentor, victim, or reader. Victims are subject to horrendous bouts of necrophilia, coprophilia, sodomy, and cannibalism to such as extent that the ripples that ought to appear in the stream of an outraged consciousness are somehow muted. And that perhaps is the inner meaning of most of DeSade's thought. Evil and horror are such commonplaces in his inverted cosmos that those who are truly kind and decent are forced to see themselves as does Winston Smith in 1984: as one who is the last and dying remnant of his species. The world must then belong to those who trump the virtues of anti-life. That I can today even question whether DeSade has won out indicates that he has not.

Rating:
Summary: Written To While Away The Time
Review: Don't let them fool you: this is an evil book. It was written by an obscenely fat little man who stood about five feet two inches tall in his stockings, and whose greatest enemy was his mother-in-law... It's boring, it's tasteless, and it's unintentionally funny in places (just like the Passolini film of the same name), but it's a book that should never have been written, because it preaches Sade's philosophy of complete and utter selfishness. Don't let the lit. theorists fool you when they praise this monster in the name of human freedom. This is the freedom of Idi Amin, of Hitler, and of all the monsters we see on the evening news or perhaps encounter in corporate board rooms and other places where "self-made" men and woman titter about just whom they [destroyed] over to get where they are now. The Sadean hero and heroine are cold-blooded users of people--including children--and even animals and corpses--on a quest for gratification. They have not one iota of sympathy for those they use. I suppose we could say this is a psychological document that deserves a place in human thought. It's also an exercise in pre-surrealism, as Andre Breton justly points out. But it should also be noted that de Sade's books have been the literature of choice for serial murderers and other criminals too various to mention. Why spend time with a book that teaches us that men and women are meat machines and that life is only a feed and a shag?... Here's your chance to share his prison for 400 odd pages.

Rating:
Summary: Embrace Your Insanity
Review: I guess the best way for someone to describe this novel, and yes, I will call it a novel because I believe that it does have literary value, is a mental trip into the debauched and erotic mind of a genious. Sure, it is hard to read, but it is definatly something that I would suggest to someone that was intrested in 18th century literature. It is easier to see how other authors of the enlightenment found the fauder for their cynicism. It is also easier for someone to see how the French aristicrats could definatly be revolted against when they behaved as such. This is a novel that I would definatly suggest for anyone, not of a weak mind.

Rating:
Summary: Ugh.
Review: No doubt the first question that entered the minds of unwitting readers of this loathsome book was "Who would write a book like this?" This question does warrant an answer, given just how loathsome this book is. The answer is surprisingly simple: at the time of its writing, an extremely bitter de Sade was in prison, fevered with frustration and trying to vent some of his venom and rage. And so, his confinement produced the unfinished 120 Days of Sodom, one man's onanism hailed as great literature. Other Sade books have a sort of moralistic angle to them; this one, being entirely a masturbatory fantasy, has none. Since this is a review, I suppose you'll want a plot summary. Very well, then: four "libertines" lure a group of youths into a secret location, where they proceed to rape and degrade them for 120 days, after which they torture them to death. That's it. That's the whole book. There are many biographies of de Sade, and all of them push their own agenda, since the man has perversely become a symbol, and even a role model, to all sorts of people. The truth seems to be that he was a sensitive, literate and very highly sexed individual, made sick by his own excessive libido, which poisoned his apparently great creative energies, by his anger at a repressive and hypocritical society, and by his inability to do anything about either. Ascribing any qualities other than these to him, particularly those of transcendental talent or philosophical depth, is intellectually dishonest, a repugnant attempt by people to use a sick man to justify themselves - and also an incompetent one, since Sade's books so clearly prove them wrong.

In recent times, de Sade has ascended in popularity, prompting a lavish reissue of his books and giving rise to the obvious question "Who would read a book like this?" And though I don't profess to know the full spectrum of Sade's present-day readership, his books sure are popular among ennui-laden, postmodernist porndogs who are far too hip and cool to get any pleasure or intellectual satisfaction out of anything short of twisting their useless minds and bodies into wreckage. Hey, man - it's like, this book's about a bunch of -totally- badass guys who get off on torturing people, and that's like, unique and nonconformist and stuff! Well, fine. I won't bother starting a debate on the merits of turning one's worst qualities into some kind of cretinous lifestyle statement. But let's get one thing straight here - that's -all- there is to their motivation. They're emphatically -not- reading Sade for his stylistic innovation, of which there is none - his style really isn't too different from that of Walter Scott, a writer whom Sade's fans, in the unlikely event that they ever heard of him, would no doubt deride unanimously for being a bore and a -total- square. And make no mistake about it, Sade is even more boring; his characters are all caricatures, and despite whatever entertainment one of different tastes than myself might derive from reading bad pornography described in an old-fashioned way, I have the gravest doubts that even Sade's most vocal fan ever got to the end of any of his championed author's books. Because, you must understand, it's not what's written in them that's important; it's their reputation and the ideology which they don't necessarily profess, but certainly have accrued.

The ideology in question can be spawned only by a noxious combination of sheer ennui and aimless, jaded boredom, a combination that draws people with no ability or desire to escape it to immerse themselves in the most extreme baseness simply because it's the only way they can pass the time to their satisfaction. After all, it's both -fun- and -easy- to identify with figures of power and with an emblem of nonconformity like de Sade, and so, one might easily be moved to imagine oneself a "Sadist," defined as a champion of elegant, literate amorality that's just -so- irresistibly cool. For obvious reasons, chronic narcissists would be drawn to Sade's well-dressed, loquacious sadists; it feeds the ego, and best of all, it gives one a remarkably attractive excuse to cherish one's own vileness instead of working to better it, to love oneself and only oneself, to never aspire for anything higher in life than rutting so base that it doesn't deserve to be called "animalistic," and best of all (and here's the absolute best part!) to defend this malicious worldview with "great literature" and "deep philosophy" in the form of de Sade's books! Well, hearing people gush with praise for the dull, obtuse rants of Sade's "libertines" always made me wonder how the admirers would act were they to find themselves in situations like those of their heroes' victims. After giving it some thought, I concluded that they would be screaming, and rest assured, they'd be screaming in terror and pain, with not a single drop of pleasure, not a shred of "liberation," not the tiniest bit of enlightenment involved.

Since literature was invented, humankind has produced numerous awe-inspiring works of tremendous power. Go and read them, and don't ever come back to 120 Days of Sodom. Because, quite frankly, life is too short to waste on de Sade and the unpleasant coterie of delusional, self-loving failed humans who cling to him.

Rating:
Summary: DeSickest. Would have made Bob Flanagan wince.
Review: It was out of curiosity that I read this book. The ban on Pasolini's film was only lifted in NZ earlier this year (I haven't seen it because none of my local video stores have it). THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM is the most depraved book I have ever read. It's undeniably fascinating though, and incredibly pretentious and poorly written. If you want S&M, coprophagia, necrophilia, bestialily, pedophilia, blasphemy, oozing abscesses, deformity you name it, it's here. On first reading it's shocking, but if you skim through it again it loses its shock value and is mostly boring. I guess if I could I'd give it two and a half stars.

Rating:
Summary: My view on Le Marquis
Review: .All Le Marquis de Sade's books show the extremes people arrive at through libertinage and excess.I personally started reading his works in 5th grade and haven't stopped.Although,some of the scenes are very graphic,you can get a lot out of Le Marquis'
writings.But,if your new to his writings I would advise you to
read The Misfortune of Virtue a/o The Mystified Magistrate before
reading ANY other books by Le Marquis de Sade;it's better to get the feel his water before diving right in.

Rating:
Summary: Try not to misunderstand
Review: Oh de Sade. How well you would fit in the United States today. The Marquis de Sade is one of my favorite authors. But let me explain why. Not because of either his violence or his pornography, of which he indulges in both. No, if I wanted that I would just watch one of the hundreds of cheap movies on the market and abandon reading all together. I like the Marquis de Sade because he takes an idea that all of our "alternative lifestyle" liberals whine about, goes to the horrible yet final conclusion, crams it down your throat and tells you where to go with it. It is certainly not for the squeamish, as other reviewers have stated. It is also certainly not for people who are not willing to exam their own lives. If you are close-minded, then close the book!

Another thing, do not get hung up on the pornography or the violence. You have to wade through the sewage to get at the best parts of the book(s). And that part would be the philosophical dialogues found inside the readings (this is true of all of de Sade's works). When the four friends have dismissed the children and the other "guests" and talk amongst themselves, when the Duke gives his introductory speech at the beginning of the "120 Days . . ." etc., that's where the goods are. De Sade offers us a view of the world that is not uncommon today. It is a materialistic approach to the universe, much like a scientist might have. It is a precursor for some of the greatest minds and thoughts to come out of the 19th Century, with forerunners like Nietzsche and Schopenhauer to name just two.

The Marquis de Sade is a mature writer who deserves mature readers to appreciate his mature philosophy. If you cannot see past the debauchery, which he uses, in my opinion, to strengthen his philosophical tenants, then maybe you had better move on to something happier. If you want a challenge and a book that may leave you queasy, open to the first page and hold on to your hat . . ..

Rating:
Summary: Indisputably important
Review: Although the volume "Justine, Philosophy etc." is a better place to start.
Reading about Sade is probably more interesting for most people than actually reading Sade. To do more than read a few excerpts and say, 'okay, I get it,' takes a real commitment. But there is a cumulative effect that comes with reading a thousand or more pages of Sade's repetitions - a certain enlightenment or moral re-ordering. Sade's work definitely calls into question the ideas that form the very foundations of human society. And his life was also facinating. As for readers who would like to boycott the sellers of books that may induce an impressionabe reader to sick acts - you'd best start with purveyors of the Bible. It's been behind far more organized human atrocities and individual wackos' misdeeds than any other book in history. The negative impact of Sade's writings is virtually nonexistent by comparison.

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Summary: I defiently believe in freedom of speech
Review: But I also believe in boycotting businesses to stand up for what you believe in. This book in a lot of parts is nothing more than a list of incredibly sick ideas that could be very dangerous if read by the wrong people. Most of us are mature enough to handle this stuff even though it would surprise us or even shock us. BUT there are just a very few people that would take some of this stuff and run with it. This book puts you in a really weird mood while you read it. All it does is make you feel sicker and sicker. The only reason I give it two stars is because it did have a lot of shock value but then again a lot of this stuff really does happen today, like having people eat %&^$ for example. I just think this book has and will continue to give people ideas and eventually cause people to do things they wouldn't have done if they didn't hear it directly or indirectly from this book. Like I said I am all about people having the freedom to read and write whatever they want but I would not blame anyone for boycotting a store that sells this. Sure people can argue with me on this since the bumber of people that would actually act on this stuff is small but there are defiently mentally ill people out there that this would give too many ideas to. I defiently would not recommend reading this book unless you are VERY mature. I have been around some pretty twisted individuals in my life so I can say I really wasn't that shocked but some people will defiently wish they never read it. I found it interesting but like I said my primary concern is that this book could very well be the route of some of the darker evils that you don't hear about very often but may get bigger in the future, some of the things in this book are a big part of people's sexual desires nowadays; the extremely twisted desires that is. I am not trying to judge anyone but my point is this book doesn't do any good at all no matter how you slice it, then again either does a lot of things but my point is this book is fairly dangerous and it might be the first book I read where I would boycott a store for selling it. It is a tough argument I know because people will say well why doesn't this book do it or that book do it, sure they do too it is just that the way this book is written in almost "list format" one thing really bad thing right after another it has a lot more power than other fictional works and defiently can shut some minds down and turn them feeling cold. I know I felt a little strange after just a few minutes of reading. Defiently to each his or her own but like I said this book is pointless and that's my final answer: ). Strangely enough I do feel like after reading what I believe to be some really realy evil acts it made me feel like having more of a desire to be an even better person just because it takes you on a walk through very deep darkness and it is nice to enter "the light" again with a "knowing" feeling. A little vague ending to my little speech and my spelling isn't the best so please forgive. PEACE.

Rating:
Summary: I wouldn't read this book for titillation, but...
Review: That's one of the few reasons you should read this book. Because I have a major problem with this book. No, it's not that I find it shocking and sickening; obviously I would have stayed away, no one finds De Sade by "accident." No, I find his philosophies are what makes this book so unlikeable. I do not mind I find them horrid, revolting, or disgusting. What I mean is I find them trite, immature, and poorly thought out. De Sade spends ten pages re-iterating the same things over and over; basically, he states in ten pages what he could easily say in one.

Now, this alone does not make me dislike this book. After all, sometimes it's talent to use ten pages to say what you could in one, correct? The whole "Henry James vs. Ernest Hemingway" ideal, right? Yes, but the mawkish tone de Sade assumes throughout this narrative sounds gleefully like he's scandalizing you the whole way, when he is not.

Plus, the plot is little more than an excuse to throw people together for sex scenes that aren't even all that interesting.

If you want a more interesting book about historical sadism, try reading about Elizabeth Bathory. I don't believe she needed to try and justify what she did with pretentious philosophical rubbish with rife with illogical loopholes you could drive a bus through.