American Society For Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS)

American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS)
"Aristocrate ou democrate? Vous me le direz": Sade's Political Pamphlets

Author(s): Julie C. Hayes
Source: Eighteenth-Century Studies, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Autumn, 1989), pp. 24-41
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press . Sponsor: American Society for
Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS) .
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2738618
Accessed: 07-09-2015 19:44 UTC
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/
info/about/policies/terms.jsp
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content
in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship.
For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
The Johns Hopkins University Press and American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS) are
collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Eighteenth-Century Studies.
http://www.jstor.org
This content downloaded from 157.92.4.4 on Mon, 07 Sep 2015 19:44:22 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
'Aristocrate
ou
democrate?
Vousme le
direz":Sade'sPolitical
Pamphlets
JULIE C. HAYES
THE MARQUIS DE SADE'S FASCINATION withthestructures

ofsocial
relations
andwiththeanalysis
ofpowermakehimanintensely
political writer,'
buthehastraditionally
beenexcludedfromdiscussions
ofEnlightenment
political
thought.
Sadeonlyrecently
becamea major
eighteenth-century
writer;
hehasappealedtomodern
readers
insofar
setouttowriteagainstthecultural
as he seemstohavedeliberately
ofthought
his(andour)world.He
normsandstructures
constituting
alsofigures
inthetwentieth-century
ofEnlightprominently
critique
andTheodorAdorno,hisnovelJuliette
enment.ForMax Horkheimer
for
exemplifies
thewaysin whichtheEnlightenment
predilection
clarity,
organization
and"demythologizing"
leadstoa moralvacuum,
a totalitarian
To look at Juliettein thecontextof Sade's
nightmare3
is to realizethathispoliticalthought
cannot
otherwork,however,
be so conveniently
classified.
Indeed,hismostovertly
political
texts,
and speechesfromtheearly1790s,indicatesoulthepamphlets
andideologicaluneasein thefaceofrevolutionary
searching
politics.
havebeenalScholarswhohavestudiedSade'spoliticalleanings
I am indebted
toJeffrey
Sawyer,Bernadette
Fort,andHughWestfortheirmanyhelpful
comments
and criticisms.
I See BeatriceFink,"The case fora PoliticalSystemin Sade,"SVEC 88 (1972):
493-512.
2 Horkheimer
(1944). Englishtrans.byJohn
andAdorno,DialectikderAuJklarung
(New York:Herderand Herder,1972).
Cumming,DialecticofEnlightenment
24
SADE'S POLITICAL PAMPHLETS
25
mostexclusively
concerned
withtwotexts,
theepistolary
novelAline
et Valcour
(written
inprisonin 1788,butrevisedtotheorderofthe
sivous
dayin 1790-91)andthemanifesto,
encoreuneffort
"Franqais,
voulezetrerepublicains,"
incorporated
in thelibertine
dialogueLa
Philosophie
dans le boudoir(1795).3Important
as theseworksare
interms
ofSade'sliterary
output,
itis curiousthatscholarshavenot
toSade's
tothepamphlets,
thetexts
mostpertinent
givenmoreattention
involvement
inrevolutionary
politics.TheeditorofSade'scomplete
works,GilbertLely,givesus tenpiecesundertherubricopuscules
totheking,andsevpolitiques:twoprinted
speeches,an openletter
theratificaeralpetitions
andproposals
concerning
hospital
reform,
tionoflaws,thelevyofa Parisianarmy,
theuse ofde-christianized
churches,
and newstreetnames.4
of
forthemarginalization
Therearevariouspossibleexplanations
Theirneglectis no doubtduein partto
Sade'spoliticalpamphlets.
literary
history's
generaltendency
tooverlook
textsfromtherevoluA certainstrainofSade criticism,
tionary
period.5
too,has tended
-these fervent
and
todismissSade's"public"
productions
pamphlets
to currypublicfavor.6
his sentimental
plays-as insincere
attempts
theRevothecrowds
So,although
theimageofSadeharanguing
during
ofartists
the
lutioncontinues
todazzletheimagination
andscholars,
relevant
texts
remain
unremarked.
As inthecaseofhistheater,
critics
3AlongwithB. Fink'sarticle(citedabove),politicalinterpretations
ofSade include
JeanGoulemot,"Lecturepolitiqued'Alineet Valcour,"
in Le Marquisde Sade, Centre
aixoisd'etudes
etde recherches
surle dix-huitieme
siecle(Paris:Colin,1968),pp. 115-36;
PierreFavre,Sade utopiste:
Sexualite,
pouvoiretetatdansAlineet Valcour
(Paris:P.U.F.,
1967); MichelDelon, "Sade Thermidorien"
and JeanEhrard,"Pourune lecturenon
sadiennede Sade: mariageetdemographie
dansAlineet Valcour,"
bothinSade: Ecrire
la crise,Colloquede Cerisy(Paris:Belfond,1983),pp.99-117,241-57.MarcelH6naWs
excellent
study,
Sade: L'Invention
du corpslibertin
(Paris:P.U.F.,1978),includes
a chapter
onclass structure
andtheeconomyofexchangeinthenovels("Le Moded' improduction
libertin,"
pp. 165-208).
4 Sade, Oeuvrescompktes,ed. G. Lely (Paris: Cercledu livreprecieux,1966) 11:
65-141.All subsequentreferences
to thiseditionwill appearin thetext.
s MarkEli Blanchardcritiquesthistendency
in Saint-Just
et Cie: La Revolution
et
les mots(Paris: Nizet, 1980).
6 Gilbert
Lely'sdistinctly
anti-revolutionary
sentiments
himfromgivingan
prevent
impartial
accountofthepamphlets;
RogerLacombediscussesSade'srevolutionary
acbutrejectstheopusculesas "oeuvresde commandeetde circonstance"
tivities
atlength,
(Sade et ses masques[Paris,Payot,1974],p. 137). One of thefewcommentators
to
takeSade'spamphlets
Gorer(TheLifeand Ideas oftheMarquisde
seriously,
Geoffrey
Sade [NewYork:Norton,1962],pp. 58-59) nevertheless
baseshisdiscussionofSade's
onAline,Philosophie
politicalthought
entirely
dansle Boudoir,andotherliterary
works.
26
EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY
STUDIES
haveapparently
preferred
therevolutionary
playwright
depictedin
PeterWeiss's
Marat/Sade
tothedramatist
wholetvirtue
triumph
over
vice or theoratorwhoeulogizedMarat.
Itwasanunlikely
rolefora manofhisclassandbackground.
Prior
totheabolition
ofthelettres
de cachetin 1790,Sadehadspentsome
inhisview,ofhismother-in-law's
thirteen
yearsinprison,a victim,
ideason family
honor.He hadpassedthrough
frustration,
despair,
andpsychosis;
he hadprogressed
fromsomemediocre
attempts
at
andversetopowerful,
fiction.
of
theater
Atthemoment
disturbing
hisliberation
he waspreytoconflicting
notionson society,
governHe hatedtheabuseofpower,
ment,andclassstructure.
particularly
was
as it hadappliedto him,buthis senseofclass consciousness
theclass ofennobled
thanever.He particularly
resented
stronger
-his wife's
-whomhedubbed"ladegoutante
magistrates
background
theupperranksofthenoblessedepee:
robinocratie."
Sadecamefrom
withtheprinces
ofnobility
onhisfather's
fourteen
degrees
side,kinship
of theblood on his mother's.He had receiveda nobleman'seducation,includingfouryearsat Louis-le-Grandand military

trainingat
theprestigious
academyoftheChevau-legers.
In hiscorrespondence
andotherwritings,
Sade indicates
thathe
identified
withhisclass,butthathealsosawhimself
as aphilosophe,
at thebeginning
ofthe
feelings
whichwereifanything
intensified
He wrotetohislawyer
inDecember,
Revolution.
Gaufridy
1791,that
"manofletters"
factions
beinga professional
employed
bydifferent
inhisopinions.
Theletter
whathecalled"mobility"
ends
hadcreated
in perplexity.
ou democrate?
Vousmele direz,s'ilvous
Aristocrate
Que suis-je,'apresent?
plait,avocat,car pourmoije n'ensais rien.(12:505)
ordemocrat?
Youtellme,ifyouplease,
Aristocrat
[WhatamI atpresent?
forI haven't
theslightest
lawyer,
idea.]
hemayhavefelt,
Whatever
confusion
uponhisreleasefrom
prison
innorthwest
a cartede citoyen
Sadetookupresidence
Paris,obtained
oftheSectionde Vendome
in activities
actif,andbecameinvolved
(laterSectiondesPiques),attending
meetings,
standing
guard,doing
of
andas president
juryduty.In 1793he servedbothas secretary
27
theSection;mostoftheopusculesareeitherspeechesmadeduring
thistimeor motionsdrafted
bySade andpassedbytheSection?
His lifewasnotwithout
worry:
hissonswerelistedas emigrants,
as washe(duetohispenchant
forusingvariousversions
ofhisname
at different
times);hischateauwaspillaged;a Jacobin
cliqueupset
ofoneofhisplays.Andinlate1793,as theJacobins
theperformance
werepressuring
theSectionstopurgetheirmembership,
Sade was
arrested.
The Section7s
comitede surveillance
citedhisbad reputationoflongstanding,
his defenseofRolandin 1792,and claimed
thathe had"unmasked
himself'as a counter-revolutionary
byprea petition
senting
against
thelevyofa paidParisianarmy.
Theindictment
concluded
witha reference
tooneofSade'smoreirritating
habits.
... faisant
continuellement
descomdanssesconversations
particulieres
paraisons
tireesde l'histoire
GrecqueetRomaine
pourprouver
l'impossibilited'etablir
unGouvemement
etrepublicain
enFrance.(Cited
democratique
byLely,2:402)8
todeathunderthe22 Prairial
Sadewascondemned
law,butthrough
He wasliberbureaucratic
error
onthe9 Thermidor.
missedexecution
In 1801he would
ateda fewmonths
afterthefallofRobespierre.
fortheremainder
ofhis
againbe arrested
andplacedin detention
libertine
or a counter-revolutionary,
butas
life,notas a refractory
theauthorofJustine.
Beforeexamining
theopuscules,letus takea lookat someofthe
constructions
thathavebeenputon hisotherwork.Progressivism,
reactionism,
andindecision
allcolorpartsofSade'spolitical
life,and
allhavebeenreadintoAlineetValcour.
Inthis"philosophical
novel,"
7On thestructure
andactivities
oftheParisiansectionsduringthisperiod,see AlbertSoboul,Les Sans-culottes
parisiensen l'anII (Paris: Seuil, 1962). Thisperiodof
Sade'slifeis amplydocumented
inLely'sbiography
(vols1-2oftheOeuvres),2:283-422.
8 [ ... constantly
inhisprivate
conversations
making
comparisons
drawnfromGreek
andRomanhistory
inordertoprovetheimpossibility
ofestablishing
a democratic
republic
in France.]
9 Micheletusestheoccasion(anddoes someviolencetochronology)
tocharacterize
theThermidorean
Reaction:"Personne
ne se contraignait
plus.De Sade sortit
de prison
le 10 thermidor."
Histoirede la re'volution
francaise,ed. G. Walter(Paris: Gallimard,
1954) 1:516.
28
EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY
STUDIES
Sade claimstohavepredicted
theRevolution;
he also undertakes
to
demonstrate
a number
ofpoliticalandethicalsystems
tothereader.
Thenovelisbestknown
forthelongepisodecontrasting
thedespotic
kingdom
of"Butua"withthepaternalist
paradiseof"Tamoe'."
Whilesomeattempt
hasbeenmadetocasttheButua/Tamoe
sectionas a politicaltract,
mostcriticsnowemphasize
theproblems
inherent
insucha move.Alineis a workwhichconstantly
callsattentiontotheplurality
ofitsideologies;itsfictional
editor
warnsagainst
judgingonlya partoftheworkinsteadofconsidering
itas a whole.
The novel'snarrative
complexity
also prevents
one fromreadingit
as a coherent
manifesto.
within
storiesinan apStoriesaccumulate
parently
gratuitous
TamoeandButuaareseparated
from
fashion;
the
readerthrough
interpolated
narrators
retelling
oneanother's
words.'0
Liketheheroines
hidingintheircountry
retreat,
thereaderis kept
atbay,distanced
fromtheaction.Thereader's
closesttextual
counis theheroValcour,
whousuallymustcontent
terpart
himself
with
inthem.Hiscorresponreading
aboutevents
rather
thanparticipating
inthenovel'sopening
lines "Ton
dentDeterville
notesthesituation
absencefutpournousuneenigme"
(4:1) ["Yourabsencewasa mysteryto us"]-and so it remainsthroughout.
andincoherence
whatMichel
Suchnon-engagement
pointtoward
ofSade'slateryears,"butit
Deloncallsthe"unutterable
cynicism"
ofthemanofletters
in
also resultfromthedividedloyalties
might
thecollision
1790.Sade'swriting
dramatizes
between
whatHabermas
describes
as thetwobasicmodelsoftheOldRegime:ontheonehand,
a "vertical
axis"or hierarchical
orderbasedon exclusion,
dominaa "horizontal
axis"ora complex
tion,andinnate
value;ontheother,
network
ofopenexchanges
andcontingent
value.'2Vice,virtue,
and
classaffiliations
inSade's
thewilltopowerdonothavepredetermined
novels;thehierarchical
principle
predominates
tothepointofabsurofrule-bound
libertine
butthey
dityintheproliferation
societies,
prothanthearbitrariness
want
duceno othermeaning
theyseemingly
to suppress.
10 Fordiscussion
ofthecomplexities
towhichSade submits
theepistolary
formsee
inSade'sAlineetValcour,"
B. Fink's"Narrative
Techniques
andUtopianStructures
Science
FictionStudies7 (1980): 73-79; and Christopher
Miller,BlankDarkness:Africanist
Discoursein French(Chicago: ChicagoUniv.Press,1985), pp. 184-200.
1 J
Delon, 114.
12 Jiurgen
derOffentlichkeit
Strukturwandel
Habermas,
1962).
(Neuwied:Luchterhand,
29
butthey
Thepamphlets
alsobetray
certain
internal
contradictions,
do notseeka solutionin "cynicism."
Theyrather
revealtheextent
problematic.
to whichSade'sconfusion
is partofa largercultural
Recenthistorical
scholarship
onFrenchsocietyattheendoftheOld
classawareRegimepointsnotso muchtotheformation
ofpositive
Theheteroness,as toa deepening
breakdown
ofsocialcategories.'3
ofsocialgroupsparallelsa similardiscursive
diversity
and
geneity
ofmodels,
ambiguity.
Sade'stexts
portray
thecollisionandconfusion
of
butwhereasthenovelspithierarchical
structures
againstsystems
in
exchange,
thepoliticalpiecesattempt
toobliterate
thedichotomy
a moment
ofrevolutionary
"transparency.''l4
inthislight.It beTwothings
resultfromreading
thepamphlets
fromthe
conveniently,
comesimpossible
todivorcethem,however
restofSade'sliterary
productions,
withwhichtheysharea number
theclean
ofconcerns.
Furthermore,
theyrender
equallyimpossible
as his
breakbetweenthe obsessionsof the"execrablescelerat,"
moments
oftheRevodenouncers
termed
him,andthemostidealistic
between
Sade andtheRevolulution.Byclarifying
theconnections
in
a
new
us
to
see
both
light.
tion,thepamphlets
help
are recognizthepamphlets
Lely'sdisclaimers
notwithstanding,
therea typical
footnoting
ablySade's.Onefinds
quirkinthepedantic
concernwiththenaofa passionate
text,as wellas Sade'songoing
pedatureofpower:whatis it?canitbe delegated?
Thereis a certain
And
be
communicated?
there
how
the
Revolution
gogicalquality: may
is therecurring
of"transparency":
radiant
theme
immediacy,
publicity,
it:"... que
virtue,
freedom
from
plots.Hereis howSade expresses
nos pensees,nos ames,et nos coeursn'enfassent
plusqu'un;que
l'unitede la Republiquesoitl'unitede notrebonheur,et que ce bon-
I3 Amongothers,
FrancoisFuret,Penserla re'volutionfrancaise
(Paris,Gallimard,
1978); Colin Lucas, "Nobles,Bourgeois,and theOriginsof theFrenchRevolution,"
Past and Present60 (1973): 84-86; WilliamDoyle,OriginsoftheFrenchRevolution
(Oxford:OxfordUniv.Press,1980),pp. 7-40; LynnHunt,Politics,Cultureand Class
in theFrenchRevolution
(Berkeley:Univ.of CaliforniaPress, 1984), pp. 1-16.
14 Cultural
historians
havebecomeincreasingly
intheRevolution's
interested
desire
for"transparency,"
whetherin termsoftherepresentation
ofpower,or morebroadly:
"transparence
de la societe'a elle-meme,
transparence
de l'instituant
'al'intitue,
de l'idee
au reel,du projet'a sa concretisation,
de la volonte'a ce qu'ellevise,de la liberte'a son
destin.. . " [MarcRichir,"Revolution
et transparence
sociale,"Intro.to Fichte,Considerations
surla revolution
francaise,trans.J.Barni(Paris:Payot,1974),p. 10]. See
also Hunt,Politics,Culture,and Class, pp. 44-45ff.
30
EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY
STUDIES
heurse fasseressentir,
s'ilestpossible,cheztousles peuplesde la
terre!"
(11:116).15
Theseareall concernssharedbyotherrevolutionariesoftheday.Hereas elsewhere,
transparency
is boththekeyand
thetrap- notonlythesolution
butalsothe
sought
through
pedagogy
presupposed
stateofthings,
henceobviating
theneedforpedagogy.
Thequestfor"l'unite
de notrebonheur"
impliesthecollapseofboth
willbe calledinto
hierarchies
andsystems,
buttheconsummation
question.
Letusbeginbyexamining
themostapparently
peripheral
element
ofthetextsthatis reminiscent
ofSade'sotherwritings,
theiruse of
One noteis appendedtothe" Adresseau roi,"andthree
footnotes.
canbe foundin thespeechon the"Ideesurle modede la sanction
violencethat
des lois."Although
theydo notattainthedisjunctive
a rupture
fascinated
BarthesinJustine's
notes,'6
theytoorepresent
forcorrect
detailintrudes
ofsortsinsofar
as their
concern
punctilious
is an
toneofthemaintext.Pedanticism
uponthemoreemotional
wherethedisplay
oft-overlooked
qualityofmuchofSade'swriting,
theinferiis frequently
ofaggression
ofknowledge
a form
implying
orityofthelistener.
onveutabsolument
Jeneconcois
pasparquelleabsurde
ignorance
quele
chez
leblancetait
la seulecouleur
consacree
bonnet
delaliberte
soitrouge:
connue
etreveree
'ala deessedela Libert6,
lesGrecsetchezlesRomains
sousle nomd'Eleutherie.
(11:85n.)'7
One cannothelpremembering
theimpatience
withSade'sannoying
inthearrestform:hisdethatwasexpressed
allusionstoantiquity
ofhistext,wherepedannouncers
wereactually
rather
astute
readers
areinextricably
linked.Pedanticism
ticism,power,andaggression
Unlike
carriesotherproblems.
La Philosophie
dansle boudoirand
15 [" . . . mayour thoughts,
our souls,and our heartshenceforth
be one; maythe
unityoftheRepublicbe theunityofourhappiness,andmaythathappinessmakeitself
felt,ifpossible,amongall thepeopleson earth!"]
16 Speakingofthenormative
offered
ofLa Noucontrasts
bythetextand footnotes
velleJustine,
Barthesobservesthat"les deux instances,
celle du 'reel'et celle du discours,ne se rejoignent
jamais: aucunedialectiquene les lie, ne les pourvoitd'unsens
commun,articule.. .. [Le Texte]s'accomplit
dansun defilogique,une contradiction
chaude."Barthes,Sade, Fourier,Loyola (Paris: Seuil, 1971),p. 170.
17 ["I cannotconceiveby whatabsurdignorance
thelibertycap is heldto be red:
whitewastheonlycolorconsecrated
bytheGreeksandRomanstothegoddessofLiberty,knownand reveredunderthenameEleutheria."]
31
"somedisorderly
specific
thenovels,
where,
as JaneGallopobserves,
. . . exceedsthesystematizing
discourse,"'8theprocessworksinreemotional
(inthenovels,
orgiastic)
verseinthepamphlets.
Thehighly
a systematizing
orexplaclarification,
justification,
passagerequires
from
thetext
butdoesnotreally
nation
whichrefuses
tobedissociated
ofa speech:
interact
withit,either.So we see at thebeginning
le despotede
HOMMES DU DIX AOUT, vousn'avezpas redout6d'arracher
l'orgueilleux
palais oiules tyrans,
pourla secondefois,allaientverserle sang
'a quelquedistance
du peuple![Sade'snote:"On saitque des memesfenetres,
(11:83)19
pres,CharlesIX tirasurles protestants."]
Counting("pourla secondefois")- a particularpenchantofSade'srequiresaccountability

and explanation.It indicatestheneedforthe
of the
prerogatives
printed
wordto encroachupontheexpressive
intonewouldargueagainstthefootnote's
spoken,sincetherupture
Thetexthovers
between
harangue
beingreadaloudtotheassembly.
Neither
modesuffices
alonetoconvey
Sade'smeananddisquisition.
ing,buteach subtlyquestionstheother.
inthesamesphereas manyother
Sadeseekstoresolvethematter
Thesearch
fortransparency
oftheday,in"transparency.
revolutionaries
forthetwo"pedagogical"
creates
theepistemological
framework
pieces,
andthe
thepetition
fora properly
re-useofthechurches
republican
forces
areatworkas well,ofcourseplanfornewstreet
names.Other
His remarks
bentis certainly
a motivating
factor.
Sade'santiclerical
on theeffects
ofreplacing
each Christian
with"theemblem
effigy
ofa moralvirtue"
are illuminating.
Si 1'homme
moralestl'homme
de la nature,
si, d'uneautrepart,le gouil fautque,parunenchaineestceluide la nature,
vernement
republicain
lesressorts
ducaractere
d'un
mentnecessaire,
lesvertus
morales
deviennent
de ces vertus,
legislateurs,
consentons
etpournouspenetrer
republicain;
en sortant
unculte.... [Q]uechaquecitoyen,
de ces ceremo'aleuroffrir
nies . . . en fasse sentir'a son epouse . . . a ses enfants,et le bonheuret

l'utilite.(11:130-31)20
JaneGallop,"The ImmoralTeachers,"YaleFrenchStudies63 (1982): 122.

["MEN OF THE TENTH OF AUGUST,youdidnotfeartotearthedespotfrom
wereaboutto shedtheblood
theproudpalace where,forthesecondtime,thetyrants
ofthepeople."Sade'snote:"Weknowthatfromthosesamewindows,
ornearby,
Charles
IX firedon theprotestants'"]
20 ["Ifmoralmanis thenatural
man;if,on theotherhand,therepublican
govern18
'9
32
EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY
STUDIES
Hymns,incense,ceremony,
andembkmespenetrate
thesubjectthrough
all senses,inculcating
notonlytheappropriate
lesson,butalso the
ability
totransmit
whathasbeenlearned.Theappealtoa Rousseauist
or revolutionary
feteis explicit,
butone shouldnotecertain
differences.Rousseau'smodelis oneofreflection
andidentification
("que
chacunse voieets'aimedansles autres"'21);
Sade's,oneofsensation
and penetration.
Rousseauimagineda fetewithno object("Qu'y
montrera-t-on?
Rien,si l'onveut,"
233), whileSade stagestheparticipant's
displacement
andre-formation
by"moralvirtues."
Sade's
is imagined
withitslimits,
of"going
ceremony
withtheperspective
intorelief
away"alreadyinview.Thelimitsarethrown
bythereferencetothosewhowereexcludedfromtheexperience:
womenand
willitbe possible
Onceawayfromthemovingspectacle,
children.
itstruths
to someoneelse?The answerdependson
to"fairesentir"
is notproved.Werethe
an uneasysyllogism,
whosedoublepremise
premises
axiomatic,
thenthefete,forall itseducative
value,would
between
anddidacticism
notbe necessary.
Thetension
transparency
remainsunresolved.
Theissuesappearinanother
form
whenonetakesa walkthrough
inSade'sneighborhood.
thenewly-named
streets
Following
thegeneral
nameswithpolitically
impetus
toreplacearbitrary
andmonarchical
le nomdesrues"envi'achanger
correct
ones,Sade's"Projettendant
sionsa cityreborn.
TherueSaint-Honore
hasbecomeruede la ConventionandtherueNeuve-du-Luxembourg,
theruede Lycurgue.
Bronislaw
ofurbanprojects
underBaczko,inhisilluminating
study
taken
theRevolution,
torename
streets
during
speaksofthemovement
as a signofa "verbeconquerant.?22
Indeed,Sade'slistofnamesand
laconicrationales
followuponthemultiple
of
sensory
experiences
toan emotional
thenewchurches
likea footnote
exhortaappended
tion.Theeloquent
urbanspacesinSade'ssystem
speakina different
inproposals
from
thatsuggested
syntax,
however,
bytheabbeGregoire
and others.
mentis nature's
government,
thenbya necessarylinkitis imperative
thatmoralvirtues
becomethemainspring
oftherepublican
character;
andinordertopenetrate
ourselves
withthesevirtues,legislators,
letus consentto worshipthem.. . . mayeach citizen,
feltinhiswifeandchildren."]
comingoutoftheseceremonies.... maketheir
joyandutility
21 Rousseau,
Lettre
ed. MichelLaunay(Paris:Garnier-Flammarion,
a M. dAlembert,
1967), p. 234.
22 Bronislaw
Baczko,Lumieresde l'utopie(Paris: Payot,1978), p. 364.
33
a comGregoire's
plan,totakea well-known
example,
is actually
on
pendium
ofseveralplans,whichhavein commonan insistence
rapportsandlogicalconnections03
Eachcitycouldnameitsstreets
thusproviding
forallFrench
communes,
according
toonesuggestion,
orient
an "abregede la France"in whichtravellers
couldinstantly
relations:
themselves.
Or namesmightbe basedupon"invariable"
of streets
named
a Place de lAgriculture
couldbe theintersection
"la charrue,le versoir,la herse,lefle'au,le rouleau,la gerbe,etc."
furnish
as well." A la place
relations
material
(12). Moreabstract
de
de la Justice
aboutiront
les ruesde la Sev&rite,de l'Impartialite,
la Loi, etc."(13). Otherstreets
couldforman "abregehistorique"
by
itself.
evokingtheeventsoftheRevolution
Pourquoila placedes Piquesne seroit-elle
pas avoisineeparles ruesdu
patriotisme,
du courage,du 10 aout,dujeu de paume,etc.?N'est-ilpas
naturel
quede la placede la Revolution
onabordela ruede la Constitution
'a celleduBonheur?
quiconduiroit
(14)24
promotes
regional
exclusif,"
eschews"unsysteme
Gregoire's
system
aninvistreets
offer
andleavesroomforchange(unnamed
diversity,
tationforcitizensto emulateexploitsofthepast).
Incontrast,
looksextremely
terse.His street
names
Sade'sproposal
reborn;but
placeus inthefamiliar
revolutionary
modeofantiquity
thanthesimplereminder
that
mostaregivenlittleother
justification
individCato,Spartacus,
Cornelia,andtheotherswereexemplary
ofemulation.
Thefewallusions
tocontemporary
persons
ualsworthy
ruedu Peuplesouandinstitutions
(ruedes Citoyennes
francaises,
at all.
verain,etc.)are seenas requiring
scarcelyanycommentary
link
is
to
in
of
there
little
the
streets
the
sort
Interestingly,
attempt
WhenSade
meaningful
arrangement
proposed
bytheabbeGregoire.
andreductionistic:
"Les
imagines
links,theyarelikelytobe material
et Thirouxn'6tant
de
ruesNeuve-Sainte-Croix
qu'uneprolongation
ces
trois
sous
le
nom
de:
la rueCaumartin,
nousavonsdesigne
rues
Neuve-SainteRueduPeuplesouverain"
(11:139).["Sincethestreets
ofRue Caumartin,
we
CroixandThirouxare onlya prolongation
23
Gregoire.Systeme
de denominations
topographiques
pourlesplaces, rues,quais,
etc.de toutes
lescommunes
de la Republique
AnII]).
(Paris:Imprimerie
nationale,
[nivose,
24
namedPatriotism,
["WhyshouldthePlaceofPikesnotbe closetostreets
Courage,
August10, TennisCourtetc.?Is it notnaturalthatfromRevolution
Squareone would
takea streetnamedConstitution
leadingto one called Happiness?"]
34
EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY
STUDIES
havedesignated
thethree
together
underthename:Street
oftheSovereignPeople;']One nameis motivated
byitslocation(theruedes
is on theoutskirts
oftown);one byitsproxChamps-de-la-Gloire
imity
toanother-the
ruedesGracquesrunsintotheruedeCornelie,
mother
oftheGracchi.Expediency
preempts
poetry,
andforthemost
newnamesarepresented
inthemselves,
partthesixteen
as sufficient
having
little
ornoneedofexternal
relations
orrapports.Threenames,
arereactions
toformer
names.In onecase,Sade renames
however,
the"courdited'HenriIV" andadds,"nousavonsdesireque le nom
de JUNIUSBRUTUS,qui chassales roisde Rome,fitoublierceux
de Paris"(11:140).["WedesiredthatthenameJUNIUSBRUTUS,
thoseof
whoputthekingsofRometoflight,
wouldmakeus forget
tothepoeticcoherency
ofGregoire's
ideas,Sade's
Paris."]Compared
areseenin isolation,or theyare
is broken.Eitherelements
syntax
theimplicit
reference
to(and
tainted
byanaberrant
paradigm
through
toobliterate.
Thetransreminder
of)thatwhichthenewnamesought
is thusdamaged:the
thatwouldrender
efficacious
parency
pedagogy
ofsensoryexperience
needslanguageto becomeexplicit,
fullness
ofmeaning,
bothsyntaxic
andparadigmatic,
networks
butlanguage's
an
of
redolent
withunivocal
theimmediacy experience
failtoprovide
signification.
Inthepamphlets,
themeditation
onpowermanifests
thesamethirst
as thereflection
onpedagogy.
fortransparency
Thisdriveis evident
in thediscussionofthepassageofconstitutional
law,"Ideesurle
des lois."Sade gavethisspeechin November,
modede la sanction
afterthefallofthemonarchy,
theearliest
1792,twomonths
during
stagesofthedebateovera newconstitution.
Sade'spositionis noteasytoplaceon theideologicalmapofthe
is in danger,he argues,frombeing
day.The people'ssovereignty
"La souverainet6
toa groupofrepresentatives.
estune,indelegated
vousla d6truisez
enla partageant,
vousla perdez
divisible,
inalienable,
is one,indivisible,
and
en la transmettant"
(11:84).["Thesovereign
itbysharing
inalienable;youdestroy
it,andyouloseitbytransmit-
tingit."]The republiqueune et indivisiblewas theorderof theday,
notionofindivisibility
butwhereastheJacobin
soughttoquelldisandmakeParistheradiantcenterofa transsentin theprovinces
leads in the oppositedirection
parentState,Sade's argument
by
theConvention.
He
elevating
popularvoteandall buteliminating
of the articlesof the constitution
calls forratification
by direct
35
referendum;
cantonal
meetings
andrapidcouriers
willmaketheprocess work.The Jacobins,
were
too,
mistrustful
of parliamentary
government,
butSadegoesfurther
thantheyinminimizing
theConvention's
role.Itsmembers
arenevermorethanthe"mandataires
du'
peuple"'leadingSade to ask "comment
un mandataire
publicpeut
imaginer
quele seultitre
derepresentant
dusouverain
puisseluidonner
le memedroitpossedeparce souverain?"
(11:86). [" . . . howa public
servant
couldimagine
thatthetitleofrepresentative
ofthesovereign
couldgivehimthesamerights
possesedbythesovereign."]
Poweris presence.It is inhibited,
evennullified,
by theintervention
of intermediaries,
especiallypaid or "professional"
intermediaries
whofunction
as so manyobstaclesto transparency.
The
complaint
canbe foundinnearlyall Sade'spoliticaltexts.The"Obthehospitals,
forexample,complainthatthe
servations"
regarding
desired
beachieved
untilcertain
result,
reform,
cannot
untrustworthy
withformer
professionals
(i.e., doctors),
tainted
bytheirassociation
boardbydisinterested
members
abuses,arereplacedonthehospital
oftheSection.Sadesuggests
doctors
thathewoulddisqualify
regardlessoftheir
association
board.
previous
(orlackofit)withthehospital
withjudgment.
Training
inauthenticates
opinionsandinterferes
Similar
thepetition
thearmy,
underlies
reasoning
regarding
passed
existsin twoversions,
bytheSectionin June1793.The document
a fiery
finalveranda considerably
toned-down
"Projetde petition"
a
the
sion.Bothtextsreflect strong
of Convention,
whose
mistrust
inthe"Projet"
dupeupleand
members
areaddressed
as mandataires
in thePetition
withthemoreneutral
du
expression,
representants
peuple.Provocative
phrasesinthedraft("nousosonsvousle dire,"
"Votre
decretestinjuste,"
11:95)["wedaretotellyou"... "Yourdecreeisunjust"]
"Votre
aresoftened
decret
("nousdevonsvousle dire,"
paraitinjuste"11:101),["we musttellyou".
. "Yourdecreeseems
unjust"].In both,theSectiondes Piquesmakesuse ofthecurrent

obsessionwithplots("lesecretestle moyen
ducrime"11:103)toderoleinthedefense
manda greater
ofthecity,andgreater
autonomy
in defending
itself.Giventhatthepetition
wasvotedin theyearof
theGreatLevy,it can hardlyhavereceivedmuchsympathy
at the
Convention,
andoneis notsurprised
thatitshouldbe mentioned
at
thetimeofSade'slaterarrest.
therivalry
ThePetition's
mistrust
ofintermediaries
extends
beyond
tothesoldiersthemselves.
between
SectionandConvention
Again,
36
EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY
STUDIES
itis a problem
of"professionalism."
No onemustcomebetween
the
patriots
andtheir
city."Parisa creela R6volution,
Parissaurala maintenir"
(11:96,102). Thereis no needforoutsiders,
andthereis certainlyno needtopay them.The "Projet"claimsproudly
that
la citemajesteuse,
imposante
. . . [n'apas besoinde soudoyer
des merqui,parcelamemequ'ilsseraient
indignes
cenaires,
payes,devriendraient
25 (11:97)(themajestic,
de la defendre]
imposing
city... [hasno needof
bribing
mercenaries,
whobytheveryactofbeingpaid,wouldbecomeunworthy
ofitsdefense]).
Therevisions
wouldseemtoindicate
thatSadewasmoredeeplyperof
turbedbytheidea ofpayingsoldiersthanwereothermembers
ofopinionwhichwouldtakeon considerhisSection,a difference
able politicalsignificance.
One oftheclearestinstances
ofthesearchfortransparency
is to
be foundin theearliestoftheopuscules,the"Adresseau roides
written
uponLouisXVI'sreturn
fromVarennes.
Thetext,
Franqais"
whichaimsatrepairing
thedamaged
Louisand
relationship
between
witha vividseriesofstatic
hispeople,unfolds
oppositions
(nouslvous,
Paris/Versailles,
coeurlrespect,
lumieresltenebres,
France/pays
etranger)
thedesire
effect
is toincrease
tension
andheighten
whosecumulative
withwhatevenSadeseems
forreconciliation.
combined
Sensibility,
ofmonarchs
to recognize
as theclassicdisculpation
("Le bienest
11:70["The
de soncoeur,le malestceluide sesministres"
l'ouvrage
shows
goodis theworkofhisheart,theill is thatofhisministers"])
a newpactbetween
andexchange,
ruler
thewaytoward
transparency
estl'ouvrage
devospretres
andruled.Louisis a victim.
fuite
"[C]ette
etde voscourtisans;
is the
vousavezeteseduit"(11:73).["Thisflight
been
workofyourpriests
andcourtiers;
youhave
seduced."]
Through
whichwillallowhimbetter
tounderstand
hispresent
the
suffering,
ofhispeopleundertheOld Regime,andbyrepudiating
sufferings
andhisforeign
des
courtiers,
priests,
wife,Louiscanregain"l'amour
Franqais."
The"Adresse
au roi"is notwithout
itsproblematic
elements.
Sade
beliefinthedivineright
inonepasdenounces
ofkingsas "faiblesse"
to theking'sspecial
retainsreferences
sage (11:72),butelsewhere
25
Thefinalversion
deletes"majestueuse,
andreplacesthebracketed
imposante"
words
with"suffit
'a sa propredefense"(11:103).
37
responsibilities
beforeGod. Although
Sade reminds
Louisthathis
position
is dueonlytothe"accident"
ofhisbirth,
therearenumerous
allusionstotheking'slineageas requiring
a certain
standard
ofconduct."Henri,du fondde sontombeau,
vouseuitcrie:Perfide,
voila
tonouvrage!"
(11:73).["Henri
IV wouldhavecriedoutfrom
histomb,
'Perfidious
one,thisis yourwork!"']
- the"Ideesurle modede la sanction
Ineachofthetexts
deslois"',
the"Observations"
onthehospitals,
the"petition"
regarding
thearmyone findsthesamestructure
offrustrated
thatcharactransparency
terizestheproposalsforthechurches
andthestreet
names.In every
orstate
case,thehoped-for
goal,whether
popular
reform,
sovereignty,
security,
is showntobe attainable
onlyifthepeoplecan banishall
intermediaries
andestablish
ina revolutionary
immediate
contact
plenitude.
Seeninthislight,
the"Discours
auxmanesde MaratetdeLe Pelletier"is themostutopicofthepamphlets.
It is a ceremonial
speech
constructed
on a seriesofapostrophes,
tothecitoyens
first
present
and progressingto thetwosublimesmartyrs

de la libert, thesexe
timideet doux,26ames douces et sensibles,Le Pelletier
as Amide
et des hommesand Severeennemides tyrans,and finally
1'enfance
Uniquedeesse des Francais,sainteet divineLiberte.In a paroxysm
ofsensibility
theheroes'presandplenitude,
thespeakerannounces
ence: "je les apercois. .. je les voissourire. .. je les entends"

(11:122).
["I perceivethem. .. I see themsmile . .. I hearthem."]In a final
vision,Francebecomestheradiant
world.
modelfora regenerated
Intermediaries,
strangers,
factions,
andplotsarerecurring
features
oftheRevolution's
ofincreasingly
discourse
frustrated
transparency;
a striking
theypresent
exampleoftheextent
towhichtherevolutionariesconsciously
andunconsciously
relivedthetensions
inscribed
inRousseau'swriting.
Sade'stextsmanifest
thesametraits
as many
inthisrespect.
others
Hismeditation
ontheindivisibility
andinalienseemsclearlyinspired
abilityofthesovereign
byRousseau,andthe
dilemmas
therefrom
mirror
as well.Rousseau's
soverRousseau
arising
no factionalism
eignadmitted
tocloudthelimpidexpression
ofthe
26
In thespeech'sonlycriticalnote,Sade denouncestheromanticized
portrayals
of
CharlotteCordayon theParisianstage(11:121).See Marie-HeleneHuet'sanalysisof
therepresentations
ofCordayand Maratin Rehearsing
theRevolution:
TheStagingof
Marat'sDeath,1793-1797,
trans.R. Hurley(Berkeley:Univ.ofCalifornia
Press,1982),
pp. 71-97.
38
EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY
STUDIES
fearsofcongeneralwill:Sade, as he concurswithcontemporary
posits
its
abrogation,
with
of
power
andequatesthedelegation
spiracy
society.Butjustas Rousseau'spicture
unified
a similarorganically
whowill
Legislator
ofa foreign
element
contains
thecomplicating
byit,so Sade's
untouched
remain
yetsomehow
thesociety
"institute"
and even
of contradiction
hopefulworldcontainsundercurrents
alienation.
voiceinthetexts.
speaker's
intheshifting
is reflected
Theproblem
spokenby
are,notsurprisingly,
The variousmotionsandpetitions
nousoftheSection.The speechesand
thehighly
conventionalized
je,
the"Adresseau roi,"on theotherhand,putintoplaya speaker,
thespeaker
Inthe"Adresse,"
moreambiguous.
is rather
whosestatus
"thewishofall theFrench"(11:69)
claimsto represent
repeatedly
fromnousuntilthefinalparagraph.
andbecomesindistinguishable
as mere
ofdenouncing
authority
atthemoment
kingly
Significantly,
tospeakwiththeaustopspurporting
"pouvoir
suddenly
confie,"je
voice.Nonetheofall, as ifhe toohadlostthat"entrusted"
thority
nota loss,buta recuperation
noustoje represents
from
less,theshift
thespeakerto valorizehis ownidentity
ofpower,sinceitpermits
enThe"Adresse"
individual
toindividual.
andtospeaktoLouisas
himself
andtolistentothevoiceofthemany
joiningthekingtoforget
oftheone.
affirmation
thusendswiththeparadoxical
des lois"is
The speakerofthe"Ideesurle modede la sanction
interloHe
his
addresses
abouthisprerogatives.
less surreptitious
evocadudixaout,"buthissubsequent
cutors
as theheroic"Hommes
insoucitermsoftheirlenteur,
tionofthemis in theless flattering
enpaix"(11:83).Sade
"vousvousendormez
ance,andideescaptives:
justas hewasinthelibpedantic,
andirritatingly
is bothpassionate
ideasfortheconhissalutory
Havingpresented
ertycap footnote.
terms,
stitutional
however,
je speaksinmoreconciliatory
referendum,
iciqueceluide masensibilite"
["Myonly
"Jen'aid'orgueil
claiming,
comthatothers
andrequesting
prideis inthedepthofmyfeelings"]
doesnot,however,
Hismodesty
dispel
lumieres.
municate
tohimtheir
ofthepreceding
thejewhose
paragraph,
thepowerful,
paternalistje
unelibertequi
[est]de vousvoirconserver
"desirle plusvehement
vous cou'tesi cheret qui vous est si bien due .
. je sais jusqu'ou
j'ai
va l'abusdu pouvoir;je demeletoutesles rusesdu despotisme;
etudieles hommesetje les connais"(11:91). ["6. .. mostvehement
thatcostsyouso dearlyand
a liberty
desireis to see youpreserve
thatyou deserveso much....
39
I knowhow fartheabuse of power
can go; I untangle

therusesofdespotism;
I havestudiedmenand
I understandthem."The splitbetweenje and vous is total;je's superi-
ority,
quiteclear.
The "Discoursaux manesde Maratet de Le Pelletier"
presents
a different
one
rhetorical
strategy, aimingto stirtheemotions,
not
to dictatereason. Here, vous is a collectivityof tu's: citizens,mar-
tyredheroes,andLiberty.
The actualaudiencequicklydisappears
as MaratandLe Pelletier
on
comecloserandcloser.Theinsistence
whileitis a classicaldeviceentirely
tothe
apostrophe,
appropriate
occasion,also has theeffect
here(as in certainofSade'spersonal
ofremoving
himwithpower.His
letters27)
thespeaker
andendowing
is theimportant
voice;itis he whopossessesthesorcellerieevocatoire,
theabilityto name.
Inshort,
therevolutionary
reachfortransparency,
already
perceived
as threatened
is further
undercut
byintermediaries,
byan insistent
difference
andvousandtheinability
betweenje
ofjetodissolvewithin
thenous; thepoliticalprogram
thatSade outlinesin thepamphlets
ofintermediaries
remains
equivocal.Ontheonehand,hisdismissal
and"professionals"
canbe readas a pushforthesentimental
egalitarin thepoliticaldiscourseofhiscontemporaries.
On
ianismcurrent
theotherhand,it mustbe admitted
thattheattackon bureaucrats
is nottheuniqueproperty
of
andprofessionals
("gensdu me6tier")
ofthetraditional
sans-culottes and populists:itis also characteristic
ofpeerswho
"aristocratic"
Thepamphlets
a society
mentality.
present
areeither
autonomous
orgoverned
bya benignmonarch
dependent
on themforsupport
andadvice.All are freefrom"le despotisme
theabusesof
ministeriel,"
Sade'spreferred
phraseforstigmatizing
theOld Regime.Thefeudalmyth
inthecontroversial
stillglimmers
thearmy;thereis something
ofthenobleman
proposition
regarding
in Sade'soutrageoverthegovernment's
andformer
officer
needto
in orderto defenditself.
des mercenaires"
"soudoyer
One findscuriousjuxtapositionsin theopuscules.Sade wouldtry
tooverride
thedilemma
ofbeinganaristocrat
anda democrat
bycolin thetransparent
lapsingeverything
plenum,buthisenterprise
is
27
See, forexample,the"Letterof Apostrophes"
written
to Mme de Sade in 1783
(12:412-417),whichforall itswitandliterary
ofcrushing
beautyhastheeffect
therecipientundera barrageof startling,
and stylizedepithets.
fanciful,
40
EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY
STUDIES
de notrebonheur"
is indoomedfrom
thestart.Thecall for"l'unite
ifnotbyje himbysomealienating
intermediary,
variably
subverted
not
werecertainly
self.Atthesametime,Sade'spoliticalwritings
anymorethanthattheymasked
deliberately
counter-revolutionary,
anattempt
toingratiate
theirauthor
withtheradicals.He wasa recalduring
thepurges,
an uncitrant
during
theGreatLevy,a moderate
abashedatheist
duringthecultoftheSupremeBeing.Sade'sposias his eventual
tionswerenotslavishdeferrals
to newauthorities,
arrestconfirmed.
He was notplayingit safe.
present
inallthetexts,
todiscount
theenthusiasm
Itis alsodifficult
thattheRevoluthesensethatrealbusinessis beingaccomplished,
philosophe.
tionis thedawnofa newera.Sadespeakslikeanyardent
de la
subsister
quandla raisons'6pure;
Les abusnepeuvent
... le flambeau
ils s'6clipsent
. . . (11:71)
philosophieetincelle-t-il,
. .. whenever
thetorch
ofphiwhenreasonispurified;
['Abuses
cannot
persist
losophyshines,theydisappear. . ."]
The textsrevealbotheffusionand reservation;inter-connectedness

and equalityas well as separatenessand dependency.At the same
discoursehereservesas a reminder
time,thepresenceofenlightened
The
oftransparency's
ambiguity. Jacobins,whomSade so distrusted,
oftransparency.
wouldencounter
similarobstaclesin theirpursuit
And farfromsignifying
a breakwiththeworksforwhichhe is better
apinsteadreflect
another
side,a different
known,
Sade'spamphlets
in
he
confronted
his
the
majorproducsameproblems
proach,to
butto
theradicalsas "sadists,"
tions.Thepointis notto stigmatize
inrevolutionary
inherent
underscore
thedegreetowhichtheproblems
rhetoricpermeatedthediscourseof bothSade and thosewhomhe
refineunderstand-and
wouldbetter
regimes
opposed.Succeeding
therepressiveuses tobe made ofthedenialof"politics"in thename

of "clarity"or "unity."28
uneaseregarding
arealso thesignofa profound
Sade'sequivocations
resistsbeingbenttoposithestatusofunivocaldiscourse.His writing
orsentimental
oneideological
from
floats
tivecategories
andinstead
themall. One shouldnot,
eventually
undercutting
modetoanother,
28
PierreBourdieu,Ce que parlerveutdire:leconomiedes echangeslinguistiques
(Paris: Fayard,1982), pp. 154-55.
41
however,
discounttheoptimism
in hisefforts
to engagethepublic
politicaldiscourse,
totakestands,toattempt
toswayopinion.That
he failedhaditseffect.
in myopinions"
"Themobility
he spokeof
toGaufridy
echoesanother
ofhisreflections
onhisownwriting,
the
passagewherehe attributes
the"caractere
sophistique
que l'onme
reprochedans mes ouvrages"(15:26) to his prisonexperience.
andmobility
arebothtermsforSade'srefusal
ofthecateSophistry
IfSade'sprisonexperience
gorical,theclear,thepositivist.
sethim
on thisroute,itis worthconsidering
towhatextent
thecollapseof
socialmodelsandthedisquieting
ofrevolutionary
plurality
politics
to hisprogress.
contributed
University
ofRichmond

American Society For Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

American Society For Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS)

"Aristocrate ou democrate? Vous me le direz": Sade's Political Pamphlets

THE MARQUIS DE SADE'S FASCINATION withthestructures

SADE'S POLITICAL PAMPHLETS

of theblood on his mother's.He had receiveda nobleman'seducation,includingfouryearsat Louis-le-Grandand military

SADE'S POLITICAL PAMPHLETS

SADE'S POLITICAL PAMPHLETS

SADE'S POLITICAL PAMPHLETS

Counting("pourla secondefois")- a particularpenchantofSade'srequiresaccountability

nies . . . en fasse sentir'a son epouse . . . a ses enfants,et le bonheuret

JaneGallop,"The ImmoralTeachers,"YaleFrenchStudies63 (1982): 122.

SADE'S POLITICAL PAMPHLETS

tingit."]The republiqueune et indivisiblewas theorderof theday,

SADE'S POLITICAL PAMPHLETS

unjust"].In both,theSectiondes Piquesmakesuse ofthecurrent

SADE'S POLITICAL PAMPHLETS

and progressingto thetwosublimesmartyrs

ence: "je les apercois. .. je les voissourire. .. je les entends"

etudieles hommesetje les connais"(11:91). ["6. .. mostvehement

SADE'S POLITICAL PAMPHLETS

thatyou deserveso much....

I knowhow fartheabuse of power

can go; I untangle

to dictatereason. Here, vous is a collectivityof tu's: citizens,mar-

The textsrevealbotheffusionand reservation;inter-connectedness

therepressiveuses tobe made ofthedenialof"politics"in thename

SADE'S POLITICAL PAMPHLETS

You might also like