Rachilde’s novel

was first published towards the end of 1886, although printed editions provide a publication year of 1887. Emblazoned with a deliberately provocative title, and displaying a panoply of

tropes and themes, this novel further secured Rachilde’s status as Queen of the Decadents, and fanned the flames of infamy already attracted by the publication of

in 1884. However,

is more than just a reliquary of Decadence, since its unique blend of form, style, and shifting perspectives offer the reader and critic more nuanced, if often contradictory, visions of the very movement the work purportedly represents.

The plot of La Marquise de Sade centres on the childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood of the

1579 words

Citation: Craske, Helen. "La Marquise de Sade". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 July 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=22088, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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