Angela Olive Carter, The Sadeian Woman

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In her work, originally published in New York as

The Sadeian Woman and the Ideology of Pornography

(1978) and shortly after in London under the title

The Sadeian Woman: An Exercise in Cultural History

(1979), Angela Carter claims that the pornographic literature of the Marquis de Sade (1740–1814) can be used by twentieth-century feminists because within it the “nature” of women is exposed as culturally determined. Carter’s critical enquiry follows three of Sade’s texts:

Justine, or The Misfortunes of Virtue

(1791),

Juliette, or The Prosperities of Vice

(1797), and

Philosophy in the Boudoir

(1795). By addressing Sade’s female characters Justine, Juliette, and Eugénie, Carter critiques the glorification of female suffering, dethrones the “mythic” mother, and condemns…

1983 words

Citation: Crawford, Amy Suzanne. "The Sadeian Woman". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 July 2015 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7637, accessed 19 March 2024.]

7637 The Sadeian Woman 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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