Bandole "versus" Justine: The World’s Soul System in Sade’s La Nouvelle Justine

Abstract

: This article seeks to examine Donatien Alphonse François de Sade’s ironic appropriation of the “world’s soul system” in La Nouvelle Justine. Our objective is to show how Sade subverts said philosophical system, originally associated with immaterialist Pythagorean-Platonic thought, in order to transform it into an immanentist-materialist worldview. In order to accomplish this task, we concentrate on Sade’s characterization of the libertine Bandole and his dialogue with Justine. We also study the historical-conceptual reconstruction of philosophical and theological expressions of the world’s soul system produced by authors that Sade frequently read, such as Pierre Bayle and Nicolas Fréret. Of special relevance will be the link between those expressions and Baruch Spinoza’s thought. This articles evaluates the controversial engagement (or lack thereof) that Sade’s libertine novels exhibit with respect to the diffusion of the Enlightenment’s key proclamations and ideas.