Customer Reviews

Philosophy in the Boudoir: Or, The Immoral Mentors (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

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I thought Incest was really well written (much like Lolita, where the content is filthy but you can't help but fall in love with the writer for how gifted he is with language), so I checked this one out next. Initially, Philosophy in the Boudoir came off as porn for the thinking man and nothing more - and really, everything has its place - but about halfway into the book there appeared some interesting philosophy that really completes some of what the Marquis got into with Incest. He further develops arguments on morality here, and if you're a Camus fan, a good deal of these arguments are actually pretty compatible with Camus, too. If you can get past (or enjoy?) all the anal sex bits, this is actually some pretty smart philosophy with what appears to be Marquis de Sade's characters debating either side of his own arguments.

Dear reader,
I bought this book to check my reading of the original on occasion when sentences were particularly convoluted (Sade writes in an ironically formal Ancien Régime style of French). I was astonished to find gobs of mistakes in this English translation. I'm not exaggerating, there are three mistakes in a single paragraph on the latest page I've read, p. 151, the one starting with "Yes, Chevalier, you are saying...". Here they are to give you a taste.
1) "within you" : Should be "within me"!
2) "Do you smother remorse through your principles when you feel its goads" : Should be "May you smother (or just smother) ... if you ..."
3) "Will you manage to repent a misdeed of indifference that you have thoroughly penetrated?" This sentence is nonsensical as it is translated! It should be something like : "Could it be possible for you to repent an act being thoroughly penetrated by an indifference of it?"

This is only one paragraph. There are countless other mistakes strewn about.

I'm not familiar with other translations yet, but if you are concerned about fidelity to the original, I would advise you to steer away from this one. In spite of the fancy cover, the contents are greatly disappointing.

That said, if you're only interested in the sex tableaux, fidelity is not necessary and the translation is sufficient :-P

Enjoy.

If you want to break the borders of your fantasies... if you want to hear the richest description of the sex and the pleasure it brings... if you are ready for something which might feel immoral... if you consider sex as an art... if you love sex... read it... feel it... do not judge...
And if you want something similar but modern search for Michel Houellebecq...

I came across this book in a public library. Not so long ago, I read a collection of short stories by Marquis de Sade. What attracted me to the author is his personal history and wit. I know that his work, beliefs and unsupressed sexual freedom is what caused him decades in jail and eventually years in insane asylum. Any time I have an opportunity to read his work, I do it because I am curious about this man and what he has to say.

Highly educated, sophisticated and eloquent, de Sade sets out to present his philisophy to the general public of his time. If one can get past de Sade's unrepressed desires one can learn about Marquis' opinions about personal freedom, his resistance towards institution of marriage, his dislike of possession (human, monetary, material and otherwise), Marquis' strong atheist beliefs. There is no doubt that Marquis finds morality to be relative and he sets the record straight on his stand on issues such as death penalty, murder, theft, incest, rape, etc. His arguments are strong and carefully composed. They are also way ahead of his time.

After finishing this work, I can only respect Marquis de Sade more. He is a kind of man willing to take the worst forms of punishment for his personal beliefs. In that respect, Marquis is a principled man, willing to sacrifice himself for the benefit of others. He loaths authority and his strong sense of individuality and quest for personal freedom is such that once can rarely find these days. De Sade is imortal in his own way and for no other reason but that one, his work needs to be read, understood and respected for what it is.

This is the ultimate how-to guide. Instead of learning how to nail stupid boards together or talk like a foreign-man, this will teach you the delicious art of taking a young woman and filling her tight holes like they belonged to a thanksgiving turkey on thanksgiving. Pregnancy an issue? Throw it in the back! There is less disease that way, anyway. Worried about your lover's pleasure? Be like Dolmance and ignore their twaddling neediness in favor of your own robust genitals and put those genitals in whomever you please. The morals of your era are only there for God to harvest all the unhappiness and pent-up semen of the world, in order to build his towering masterwork, Queen Victoria II. None of this even mentions the cover! This book has apparently been around for years, but none of those editions had illustrations of naked ladies being debauched so completely! It makes me proud to read it in public. I highly recommend this book, not only to young virgins, but anyone who knows a young virgin, or is looking to. Chris Hansen, eat your heart out.