The Marquis de Sade is one of the most maligned, yet misunderstood figures in world literature, and his novels continue to arouse fierce debate nearly 200 years after his death. This book on de Sade includes extracts from "Justine", "The 120 Days of Sodom", "The Philosophy of the Boudoir" and "Juliette" among other works. De Sade is revealed as an embittered, vengeful man, whose extremist vision of the world nonetheless contains profound truths about human nature.