Justine

This is the story of a virtuous, and pretty, young woman who repeatedly falls prey to lecherous libertines. Over the course of the story, she is victimized by aristocrats, monks, and outlaws. The lead goes by the name Therese, though her given name was Justine. She is one of two sisters orphaned after their father ran afoul of a man by having an affair with said man’s wife. The story is set in France immediately before the Revolution, as it was written while de Sade was imprisoned in the Bastille in 1787.As Therese is telling her tale of woe on the eve of her trial for murder and arson, one might question whether she is an unreliable narrator. In other words, was she as morally upright and steadfastly pious as she portrays, and were her sufferings truly through no fault of her own [beyond naïveté.] That level of complexity is beyond de Sade’s simple formulation. The lesson of his amorality tale is that Therese ends up in such a mess precisely because (by being so virtuous and pious) she fails to comply with what de Sade saw as the law of nature. His version of the law of nature is defined by the strong lording over the weak, and the ideal of “do unto others, before they can do unto you.”What is the evidence for de Sade’s twisted amoral moral to the story? First, he includes a sister, Juliette, who follows the path of least resistance (accepting a life of vice) and ends up much better off. Second, all of the “villains” (though de Sade didn’t see them that way, I’m certain) are prone to Bond Villainesque exposition on this philosophy as justification for the vile acts they are perpetrating. This ham-handed approach can make for an annoying read. [However, if one is interested in the minutiae of the philosophy of libertinage, one may find some of the arguments interesting. While de Sade’s philosophy is rank and vile, it may have just been a wild pendulum swing from what was going on in the mainstream world at the time.]While I certainly wouldn’t recommend the book as a treatise on ethics, morality, or philosophy, it’s an interesting story. I’ve only read one other book by this author (i.e. “120 Days of Sodom”) and can say that “Justine” is vastly better than that one.I’d recommend it for those intrigued by the occasional amorality tale. It can’t be said to lack tension. Needless to say, it’s graphic in places, and not for readers of delicate sensibilities.

Some of my issues with Justine likely spring from the antique English used in this translation. But when the Marquis chose to send his titular character through the metaphorical Underworld, he couldn't help but pour it on. Every captor a self-centered hedonist whose individualism would give Ayn Rand pause and a different kink to make Dr. Kinsey write sequels on their depravity. Justine stays resolved to keep her faith despite all she saw and was forced to do. De Sade did not write this as a stroke book. It's almost proto-feminist in how the hellbeasts insist in the worst terms that women are tools of a man's libido and nothing more.It's a slog to read. Only one character has any growth. And de Sade really got into writing the nasty parts like they would ruin their targets for the betterment of humanity. But it left me thinking about larger issues. No small trick for a book that's over 200 years old.

Justine reminds me of other polemics written in the 18th Century. As a read, it is flat and teaches the same lesson over and over. Think of Candide and A Voyage to Abyssinia. But it is worth reading. Spoiler alert: if you want salacious, titillating, or an engaging work of fiction, prepare for disappointment. Read Justine for its philosophy. I found Justine a brutal story, and it haunted more than one dream; so I've had enough. But there is a lot to think about, especially as modern reactionary conservatism and libertarian principles sweep through the early 21st Century political landscape. So take notes and pull a few quotes for future reference. The Marquis de Sade is extreme, but the fact that he operates on the edge makes his point of view that much sharper. I say that it's a must read, and it's very accessible. I read the most modern translation available from Kindle. (I give it five stars because it made me think, but that's the only reason. I'm not posing when I say that the thought of this book, its philosophy and story line still make me queasy at my stomach; although it is fun to discuss with friends.)

I have to say that I was disappointed. Probably because I had first read DeSade's 120 days of Sodom and Juliette first. Justine is the younger sister of Juliette and while Juliette is 1200 pages long, this one is like 190. Being so long, Juliette went into very minute detail of her travels and sexual exploits while in Justine, it was very vague and didn't provide much detail. It would have been better had it been more like Juliette, basically a mirror image of that book with the exception of one becomes a very successful libertine while the other suffers while trying desperately to cling to virtue. Being so short, the book just goes from one unfortunate situation to the other for poor Justine which unfortunately makes the story too unbelievable. How much bad luck can one person honestly have?? I read Justine in one sitting and found the book rather boring. Lacking the shock value and explicit sex that just didn't seem to do DeSade justice.

We have to situate this book in the time when it has first appeared. It must have been a great shock for the society, when the Marquis wrote this book, criticizing the established "noblesse", the rich and the highest religious ranks. Many situations are very graphic, while most are not politically correct. I recommend to all that want to understand mankind, behavior, sexuality and literature.

I really wish I knew where the Marquis found such eloquent men. The male characters in this novel never stop talking, and if the women expound - it's to say something of a masculine nature. I can see where he wrote his novel strictly for the shock it created in the era it was written, and I can also clearly see where he never understood half the things he felt a woman could be put through. Plus, the thought of the hygiene of the era, and the nature of the activity - I was pretty much grossed out the whole time.

This work earned its author notoriety, and 32 years in prison and an insane asylum despite his not having been convicted of a crime.The novel follows the travails of an orphan who follows a virtuous life, dedicated to her loving God. The world gives her nothing but extreme misfortune. It's the description of the depraved sexual acts forced upon her that gives the work (and de Sade) its reputation. It's almost immediately clear to the reader that this is a parody of a morality tale. The real purpose of the story is to explore a few philosophical points. During the first great misfortune to befall Justine, we find the chief of a gang of highwaymen delivering page after page of argument theological and philosophical argument.Every time Justine does a good deed, she is punished. If she saves a man's life, he'll rape her, sodomise her and leave her for dead. Rinse and repeat. Everyone who should protect her betrays her instead. Each villain - male and female - points out to her how much easier and better her life would be if she would give up her pious ways. It is so repetitive, and her clinging to virtue so stalwart, that it is farcical - it is meant to be humorous, and it almost is.I think the reason this work - and its author - were condemned was because he was describing qutie a lot of what was going on around him in society. After all, it was his uncle - an abbot - who introduced him to debauchery. He was a free-thinker, and France at the time was a powderkeg of revolutionary ideas (which blew in his lifetime), and no one likes a smartarse philosopher who points out the hypocrisy and fraud of the church, who mocks the corruption of the justice system, and points out that if bad things happen to good people then God clearly doesn't reward good behaviour.The descriptions of (what is now known as) sadistic behaviour are pretty over the top, and plainly absurd in many instances - if even physically possible. The man was a 'libertine', and he used these to try to carry the reader through reams of diatribe as he tries to persuade us to abandon our pious and hypocrtical positions and just enjoy ourselves, guilt-free. The truth is that you don't need to be a sadistic monster to be a free-thinker, or to have a fulfilling sex life - even if you're into kink. This is an interesting historical work, but I can't say I'd recommend it to anyone but the serious reader.

De Sade wrote for political reasons - he wanted to make a statement about society. Therefore, he wrote scenes in explicit ways to show just how culture can exploit individuals.In this way, the book is interesting and educational. The explicit sex scenes (and other unpleasant events) are difficult to get through though. It is not a book for the casual reader, more for those in education or those interested in history and culture.

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Warning: this is not actually a translation of Justine. It's a translation of the first version of the Justine story, known as The Misfortunes of Virtue. And it's not a very good translation either.

A fine piece of literature, even though the subject matter is rather harrowing. Need to understand the time it was written