Philosophy In The Bedroom Author Marquis de Sade

The French novel Philosophy in the Bedroom maintains a darker tone than the more humorous and playful erotic novels published in the 18th century. The story follows a young girl, Eugenie, as she leaves her life of decency and is introduced to libertine philosophy. She thus becomes corrupted by her teachers and engages in countless lewd scenes, including sadomasochism. Following in the footsteps of her instructors, she turns to hedonism and refuses to return home to her morally conventional mother. The final section of the book will be surprised you.Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, better known as the Marquis de Sade (June 2, 1740 – December 2, 1814), was a French aristocrat and writer of philosophy-laden and often violent pornography, as well as some strictly philosophical works; much of his writing was done while in prison. His name is the source of the word sadism.No other writer has so scandalized proper society as the Marquis de Sade, but despite the deliberate destruction of over three-quarters of his work, Sade remains a major figure in the history of ideas. Philosophy in the Bedroom presents the clearest summation of his political philosophy. It follows three aristocrats as they indoctrinate the fifteen-year-old Eugénie de Mistival in “the principles of the most outrageous libertinism.” 200 years after de Sade’s death, readers will continue to find shock and delight in this most joyous of his erotic works.Set in a bedroom, the two lead characters make the argument that the only moral system that reinforces the recent political revolution is libertinism, and that if the people of France fail to adopt the libertine philosophy, France will be destined to return to a monarchic state.Dolmancé and Madame de Saint-Ange start off by giving Eugénie their own brand of sex education, explaining the biological facts and declaring that physical pleasure is a far more important motive for sex than that of reproduction. Both characters explain that she will not be able to feel “true pleasure” without pain. Then they eagerly get down to the practical lessons, with Le Chevalier joining them in the fourth act and swiftly helping to take away Eugénie’s virginity.Eugénie is instructed on the pleasures of various sexual practices and she proves to be a fast learner. As is usually the case in Sade’s work, the characters are all bisexual, and sodomy is the preferred activity of all concerned, especially Dolmancé, who prefers male sexual partners and will not have anything other than anal intercourse with females. Madame de Saint-Ange and her younger brother, the Chevalier, also have sex with one another, and boast of doing so on a regular basis. Their incest — and all manner of other sexual activity and taboos, such as sodomy, adultery and homosexuality — is justified by Dolmancé in a series of energetic arguments that ultimately boil down to “if it feels good, do it”. The Marquis de Sade believed this was his ultimate argument: if a crime (even murder) took place during one’s desire for pleasure, then it could not be punished by law. He was backed in this thought through his belief that Hobbes was wrong about mankind, that mankind is neither good or evil, it is his will that is ultimately evil. (Sodomy was illegal and punishable by death in France at the time the dialogue was written, and Sade himself was convicted of sodomy in 1772.)Spanish director Jesús Franco has made two films based on Philosophy in the Bedroom: Eugenie… The Story of Her Journey into Perversion (1970) and Eugenie (Historia de una perversión) (1980). Italian director Aurelio Grimaldi also filmed it, as L’educazione sentimentale di Eugenie (2005). In 2003, a play based on Philosophy in the Bedroom titled “XXX” was staged in a number of European cities. It featured live simulated sex and audience interaction that caused some controversy.