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A review by libbysbookshelf
The Sadeian Woman by Angela Carter
4.0
THE SADEIAN WOMAN by ANGELA CARTER
It’s impossible to give this a star rating so ignore the stars.
This is a piece of literary criticism on the pornographic novels of the Marquis de Sade, written in the eighteenth century. Sade has since “given” his name to the concept of sadism or the S in S&M, so you can imagine some of the things he was writing about.
In this essay, Carter gives the reader a synopsis of Sade’s novels and analyses them from the point of view of a feminist. In her words, the book is “neither a critical study nor a historical analysis of Sade; it is, rather, a late twentieth-century interpretation of some of the problems he raises about the culturally determined nature of women.” She claims that Sade was “unusual in his period for claiming rights of free sexuality for women, and in installing women as beings of power in his imaginary world.”
Carter has received criticism for her belief in a “moral pornographer”. Specifically Robert Clark refers to her feminism as “feminism in male chauvinist drag.”
Personally I like Carter’s brand of feminism as it is always delivered with tongue firmly in cheek, almost mocking of the patriarchy.
This book included a lot of graphic descriptions of some quite nasty torture and rape scenes and some consensual violent sex, which is interesting, though not always enjoyable, but the real treat in this is Carter’s strong voice. I am becoming so accustomed to it now that I can almost imagine her sitting next to me reading her work out loud.
#angelacarter #thesadeianwoman #marquisdesade #sade #book #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booklover #books #bookstack
It’s impossible to give this a star rating so ignore the stars.
This is a piece of literary criticism on the pornographic novels of the Marquis de Sade, written in the eighteenth century. Sade has since “given” his name to the concept of sadism or the S in S&M, so you can imagine some of the things he was writing about.
In this essay, Carter gives the reader a synopsis of Sade’s novels and analyses them from the point of view of a feminist. In her words, the book is “neither a critical study nor a historical analysis of Sade; it is, rather, a late twentieth-century interpretation of some of the problems he raises about the culturally determined nature of women.” She claims that Sade was “unusual in his period for claiming rights of free sexuality for women, and in installing women as beings of power in his imaginary world.”
Carter has received criticism for her belief in a “moral pornographer”. Specifically Robert Clark refers to her feminism as “feminism in male chauvinist drag.”
Personally I like Carter’s brand of feminism as it is always delivered with tongue firmly in cheek, almost mocking of the patriarchy.
This book included a lot of graphic descriptions of some quite nasty torture and rape scenes and some consensual violent sex, which is interesting, though not always enjoyable, but the real treat in this is Carter’s strong voice. I am becoming so accustomed to it now that I can almost imagine her sitting next to me reading her work out loud.
#angelacarter #thesadeianwoman #marquisdesade #sade #book #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booklover #books #bookstack