If you've read Philosophy in the Bedroom by The Marques De Sade, what did you think of it?

Answer 1

De Sade prides himself on being a libertine but I've always felt he rather missed the point.

After all, being a libertine means being free of the petty moral and religious strictures that would be imposed on you by society. On the other hand, if you are compelled to specifically violate those rules, you are no more free than anyone else might be - where they are bound to obey, you are bound to defile. A different slavery, but slavery nonetheless.

As such, De Sade's overt obsession with what would be considered outrageous (the "piquant wickedness of never doing good") marks him as something other than what he would like to be. When I read his writings, I often feel compelled to respond, "Okay... you're naughty. I get it. So what else do you do?"

The answer, so far as I can tell, is that he does nothing else. Hedonism is nice and all, but it is usually woefully dependant on all the non-hedonists in the world to provide the nice, pretty things to play with. A ruthless producer would shake off such leeches and leave them to starve alone in the wilds... I find it highly ironic that Dolmance in the play seems to call for this very thing.

I give the man props for standing up for what he believed. But can't really recommed the work for anything other than a mild titillation. That's my take anyway, for what its worth.