Marquis de Sade and the Avant-Garde

The Marquis de Sade's writings, which advocate for a libertine philosophy of sexual excess and human suffering, inspired avant-garde artists, writers, dramatists, and filmmakers to explore political, sexual, and psychological terror. Alyce Mahon's book explores how these artists adapted Sade's imagery of the excessively sexual and terrorized body as a means of liberation from systems of power. It provides close analyses of early illustrated editions of Sade's works and looks at drawings, paintings, and photographs by leading surrealists such as André Masson, Leonor Fini, and Man Ray. Sade's ideas were reflected in the writings of Guillaume Apollinaire and the fiction of Anne Desclos, and he influenced the theater of Peter Brook, the cinema of Pier Paolo Pasolini, and the multimedia art of Paul Chan.

Format: Hardback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 26 May 2020
Publisher: Princeton University Press

The Marquis de Sade, a notorious author known for his controversial works such as "The 120 Days of Sodom," left an indelible mark on the world of art and literature. His writings, which embraced a libertine philosophy of sexual excess and human suffering, defied societal norms and conventions. In this captivating cultural history, Alyce Mahon explores how artists of the twentieth century turned to Sade's writings as a source of inspiration to explore political, sexual, and psychological terror.

Mahon demonstrates how avant-garde artists, writers, dramatists, and filmmakers drew on Sade's philosophy in the bedroom to challenge oppressive regimes and their restrictive codes and conventions of gender and sexuality. She provides close analyses of early illustrated editions of Sade's works and looks at drawings, paintings, and photographs by leading surrealists such as André Masson, Leonor Fini, and Man Ray.

Sade's ideas were reflected in the writings of Guillaume Apollinaire and the fiction of Anne Desclos, who wrote her erotic novel, "Story of O," as a love letter to critic Jean Paulhan, an admirer of Sade. Mahon explores how Sade influenced the happenings of Jean-Jacques Lebel, the theater of Peter Brook, the cinema of Pier Paolo Pasolini, and the multimedia art of Paul Chan.

Furthermore, she discusses responses to Sade by feminist theorists such as Simone de Beauvoir, Susan Sontag, and Angela Carter. "The Marquis de Sade and the Avant-Garde" is beautifully illustrated, showcasing how Sade inspired generations of artists to imagine new utopian visions of living, push the boundaries of the body and the body politic, and portray the unthinkable in their art.

Through her meticulous research and insightful analysis, Mahon sheds light on the enduring influence of Sade on the world of art and culture, reminding us of the power of literature to challenge societal norms and provoke thought.

Weight: 1056g
Dimension: 189 x 261 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691141619