13. The Author Marquis de Sade Discussed Sadism
The Marquis de Sade, born Donatien Alphonse François, was an 18th-century French author, politician and notorious libertine. He became famous both for his scandalous writings and his numerous cases of misconduct against countless people ranging from children to his employees. His most famous work is The 120 Days of Sodom, a collection of stories written in 1785 that depict increasingly cruel and violent orgies at an isolated castle. The work is incredibly controversial and is still banned by many governments, and the original has rarely been translated into other languages due to the incredibly explicit content.
The violence and cruelty prevalent in both de Sade’s work and personal life gave rise to the term sadism, which is defined as gaining gratification from inflicting pain or cruelty on someone else. It is the opposite of masochism, which is the gratification gained from being harmed by someone else. Sadism is a prevalent theme in de Sade’s work, much of which involves sexual violence and cruelty, often including murder as the ultimate act of pleasure.
In the early 19th century, de Sade was arrested at Napoleon Bonaparte’s command due to the salacious nature of his writings and the complaints lodged against him by countless victims of his real-life predations. He spent the rest of his life in various prisons and asylums, but continued to write and used various agents to sneak his manuscripts out for publishing.