The Marquis de Sade and the Avant-Garde
(Paperback)
Available Formats
Publishing Details
The Marquis de Sade and the Avant-Garde
By (Author) Alyce Mahon
Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press
1st May 2025
United States
Classifications
Tertiary Education
Non Fiction
History and Archaeology
Literary studies: general
700.904
Physical Properties
Paperback
296
Width 178mm, Height 254mm
Description
How the notorious author of The 120 Days of Sodom inspired the surrealists and other avant-garde artists, writers, and filmmakers The writings of the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814) present a libertine philosophy of sexual excess and human suffering that refuses to make any concession to law, religion, or public decency. In this groundbreaking cultu
Reviews
"Honorable Mention for the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for French and Francophone Studies, Modern Language Association"
"The Marquis de Sade and the Avant-Garde [is] a book that is a treasure house of information and inspiration, at the same time scholarly and completely engaging. . . . An important work to add to your bookshelf; it will fascinate you, it will inspire you, and it will delight you."---Penelope Rosemont, Rain Taxi Review of Books
"Perceptive."---Allan Graubard, Leonardo Reviews
"[A] remarkable new book. . . . In this deeply researched study, Mahon moves gracefully from a thorough exposition and analysis of Sades life and work to his many critics. . . . She leaves her readers with the urgent reflection that Sades function has unceasingly been to provoke an assessment of lifes value. This is a timely and important book and should be widely read."---Katharine Conley, French Forum
"A beautifully written and meticulously researched defense of another kind. Mahon deftly narrates the history of Sade the person as well as what she calls the Sadean imagination. . . . Mahons study of Sade and defense of his texts as central to the legacies of the avant-garde are, no doubt, well-argued and deeply researched, and they make for a compelling read; the book is a significant and important contribution."---Angelique Szymanek, CAA Reviews
Author Bio
Alyce Mahon is Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art History at the University of Cambridge. She is the author of Surrealism and the Politics of Eros, 19381968; Eroticism and Art; and Dorothea Tanning: A Surrealist World.
