From Marquis de Sade to Grand Theft Auto, a Brief History of Depravity

The Marquis de Sade, a notorious figure in history, penned a shocking and depraved novel during his confinement in the Bastille jail in Paris. Known as Donatien Alphonse François, Sade was a nobleman who enjoyed privileges in his cell, including a wardrobe, tapestries, books, perfume, and a personal housekeeper. However, he was acutely aware that his writing might jeopardize these comforts and, therefore, meticulously concealed his work.

Over thirty-seven evenings in autumn 1785, Sade composed what he called "the most impure tale that has ever been told since the world began." Set in a medieval castle in the Black Forest, Germany, the narrative revolves around four wealthy male libertines who indulge in a savage 120-day orgy, inspired by tales of middle-aged female brothel keepers.

The story is narrated with stark detail, describing perversions ranging from simple to murderous acts involving thirty-six abducted victims, most of them children. The children suffer from dismemberment, flaying, disembowelment, and their intestines set alight. Incest and rape are also depicted, with some victims as young as three years old.

The novel culminates in violence, necrophilia, and the consumption of feces, vomit, and human flesh. Sade presents the story with wry humor, referring to it as a "sensual banquet."

Sade's novel, known today as "The 120 Days of Sodom," was hidden in his cell wall and nearly lost when revolutionaries stormed the Bastille. However, it was eventually found and published in 1904 by Iwan Bloch, a Berlin sexologist, who considered the work scientifically and anthropologically significant. Despite its graphic content, Sade's novel has been published and celebrated throughout the twentieth century, with some editions produced pseudonymously or anonymously to evade authorities.