Justine (Perennial Forbidden Classics) [Paperback]

Marquis de Sade (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010 | Series: Perennial Forbidden Classics (Book 2)

In a Parisian tavern the Countess de Lorsange reveals her history to a young woman named Therese—a story in which a young girl and her sister fight a battle of morality. Set in a period before the French Revolution, Justine shows the battle of virtue versus vice, where earning your keep takes on fresh connotations, and a titled lady holds a lifetime of illicit secrets. De Sade's first novella, this book was written in 1787 while he was imprisoned for two weeks in the Bastille. Although published anonymously, de Sade was eventually indicted for blasphemy and obscenity (without trial) for its authorship at the behest of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, revolutionary, and writer of violent pornography. Incarcerated for 32 years of his life in both prisons and asylums, he is famed for his graphic depiction of cruelty within classic titles such as Crimes of Love and One Hundred Days of Sodom.

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007300441
• ISBN-13: 978-0007300440
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #639,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Foreign Language Fiction > French

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars De Sade may giggle, July 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Justine (Paperback)

As an avid fan of the Marquis de Sade's infectious intriguing writing and a fan of all thing artistic I was thrilled to add this to my collection. Yet it was a bit of a disappointment.

In de Sade's words Justine was portrayed as much more of an innocent looking girl, young, childlike and hopeful, yet Crepax's illustrations portray her as a wanton, gaunt looking woman. Much of the elegance and richness of de Sade's original writing is lost in Crepax quick pen and ink drawings.

I could be disappointed merely because my favorite character of the Justine tale, a blood thirsty count, was not included in the Crepax version, though he lends an air of sensuality and intellect (deranged though it may be) to the tale.

This is however a lot of fun to have around. I don't mind flipping through every now and then. Be warned though many people will find it offensive, and if you have any sort of moral fiber it may disturb you (even though you won't be able to look away).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not the Whole "Justine", July 27, 2011

By 

Jeff Gray (the West) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Justine (Perennial Forbidden Classics) (Paperback)

I found out that this is the short version or a volume of de Sade's Justine. I was a little disappointed the the description didn't mention that. I found this out after buying the "sequel" Juliette hopefully it does matter reading the other parts of Justine at another time.

Anyways, this volume was very interesting though, it had a type of story I've never come across. It had a moral to it, but it was hard to look passed the disturbing imagery.

I'm going to find the rest of Justine's story, hopefully it's just as good.

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting to say the least, May 16, 2011

By 

Von - See all my reviews

This review is from: Justine (Perennial Forbidden Classics) (Paperback)

Most people who will read this book will feel sorry for the main character " Justine" and then there's me who found her to be rather annoying.

The book pretty much centers around the life of this young woman and the pain and suffering she endures through out it. I personally found the main character to be too much of a goody two shoes to really feel sympathetic towards her suffering and found the other characters in the book to be more interesting when it came to background and personality. Each is different and some give lectures to our Justine on their point of view which makes up a considerable amount of dialogue.

Speaking of dialogue ( no pun intended ) this book was written before the french revolution and therefor holds a language unique to its time which some readers may find hard to grasp. It is also set in France so it has many french names and places through out the book. I do believe however that there is another version out there that has been grafted into simpler english for those who wish to enjoy the story but don't want to battle the old style of writing.

Definitely an interesting book to say the least and I found it a good choice to introduce me to the works of De Sade. However I would not recommend it to those who are heavily religious as it has various scenes of a nature most unkind towards such.

I myself enjoyed it.. but it is the type of book which will provoke many different reactions so simply, it is up to you what you make of it!