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agramugl 's review for:
The 120 Days of Sodom
by Marquis de Sade
I am not a prude. I am not the type of person who will hesitate from delving into works others might find dark. One of my favorite novels is the Exorcist, commonly regarded as one of the most terrifying books ever written. I have pictures on the push-pin board in front of me while I write this containing images from Silent Hill, Audition, and other really gruesome stuff...of course, next to that I have pictures from It's a Wonderful Life and Aladdin, but that's not the point! Point is, I have no issue with things people might think are a little unorthodox.
This is not unorthodox. This is sadist porn.
Let me elaborate. The term "torture porn" has been applied to many works people dismiss as just gory or too violent. This is literal pornography in its most literal sense. The work itself exists to demonstrate violence for violence's sake, with the plot--if you can call it a plot--existing just to bring the audience to the next act of sexual sadism. These acts of sadism are grotesque, to the point where, if I were to bring up these acts in front of polite company, they'd put me away.
However, that's not why this book is rotten. After all, it's supposed to be horrifying. It's supposed to be repugnant. That's what I thought when I read this book--after seeing the Pier Pasolini film based on said book. The movie is often regarded as the most disturbing thing many people have ever seen, but the film is merciful to its audience compared to the book. One could argue that seeing these acts is far worse than reading about them, since one can just turn their mind off and blindly glance over the grotesque details. However, the film does something that the book does not.
It realizes its antagonists are evil.
The book's most disturbing quality isn't that it shows disturbing material for the sake of it so much as that it does it AND ACTS LIKE IT'S A GOOD THING. I initially thought it was a satire of some sort, but then realized, after looking into de Sade's other work, this couldn't be the case. This was just a list of the man's sexual fantasies, each one more screwed up than the last. The loving detail put into this book is enough to make someone cry on the inside.
And yet, upon reading this book, it cannot be forgotten. It's magnetizing, and remains buried inside of your head for YEARS to come. I've thankfully used it as mild inspiration for my writing. Whenever I need to hate one of my characters, I just think of how much I hate the villains in this book. The desired effect comes shortly.
This is not unorthodox. This is sadist porn.
Let me elaborate. The term "torture porn" has been applied to many works people dismiss as just gory or too violent. This is literal pornography in its most literal sense. The work itself exists to demonstrate violence for violence's sake, with the plot--if you can call it a plot--existing just to bring the audience to the next act of sexual sadism. These acts of sadism are grotesque, to the point where, if I were to bring up these acts in front of polite company, they'd put me away.
However, that's not why this book is rotten. After all, it's supposed to be horrifying. It's supposed to be repugnant. That's what I thought when I read this book--after seeing the Pier Pasolini film based on said book. The movie is often regarded as the most disturbing thing many people have ever seen, but the film is merciful to its audience compared to the book. One could argue that seeing these acts is far worse than reading about them, since one can just turn their mind off and blindly glance over the grotesque details. However, the film does something that the book does not.
It realizes its antagonists are evil.
The book's most disturbing quality isn't that it shows disturbing material for the sake of it so much as that it does it AND ACTS LIKE IT'S A GOOD THING. I initially thought it was a satire of some sort, but then realized, after looking into de Sade's other work, this couldn't be the case. This was just a list of the man's sexual fantasies, each one more screwed up than the last. The loving detail put into this book is enough to make someone cry on the inside.
And yet, upon reading this book, it cannot be forgotten. It's magnetizing, and remains buried inside of your head for YEARS to come. I've thankfully used it as mild inspiration for my writing. Whenever I need to hate one of my characters, I just think of how much I hate the villains in this book. The desired effect comes shortly.