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riannewerring 's review for:
Justine
by Marquis de Sade
Dear God, what a ride this was. From the perspective of a literary scholar, I realize I should place De Sade's works into the perspective of 18th century France and consider them of a transformational character, appreciate the novelty and bravery of these works which are completely opposed to the norms of their time, and perhaps even applaud the philosophical essays with which these works are littered.
However, as a modern reader I cannot help but question the near illegible writing ("Expounding perfidious maxims", indeed), the often flimsy rhetoric applied by characters to justify their perfidious actions, and the awful misogyny, class-related hatred and cynicism that speaks from this tale; and conclude that this novel is perhaps best described as one of Western Literature's earlier examples of a porn-without-plot, of which much better versions (both in terms of writing and argumented philosophy) can be found in present-day fanfiction.
However, as a modern reader I cannot help but question the near illegible writing ("Expounding perfidious maxims", indeed), the often flimsy rhetoric applied by characters to justify their perfidious actions, and the awful misogyny, class-related hatred and cynicism that speaks from this tale; and conclude that this novel is perhaps best described as one of Western Literature's earlier examples of a porn-without-plot, of which much better versions (both in terms of writing and argumented philosophy) can be found in present-day fanfiction.