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The Sadeian Woman

Virago 50th Anniversary Edition
4.04 goodreads logo

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( 1,607 ratings, 162 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Sadeian Woman by Angela Carter is a provocative exploration of sexuality and power inspired by the controversial writings of the Marquis de Sade. Through incisive critique and imaginative reinterpretation, Carter transforms Sade’s characters—Justine and Juliette—into symbolic figures representing the complexities of modern sexuality. Challenging conventional norms, Carter exposes the hypocrisies within cultural institutions like marriage and pornography, revealing a vision of love that defies domination or submission.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for readers interested in feminist theory, cultural criticism, and the politics of sexuality. It offers rich material for those studying literature, philosophy, or gender studies, appealing to thoughtful and intellectually curious audiences.

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Angela Carter's highly acclaimed polemic enlisting the Marquis de Sade in an argument about women's sexual freedom.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'The tone is one of intellectual relish . . . rational . . . refined . . . witty' NEW STATESMAN

'Her work is funny, sexy, frightening and brutal' EDMUND GORDON, GUARDIAN

'Angela Carter liked to blur boundaries and break rules' GABY WOOD, INDEPENDENT

Celebrating five decades of the feminist publisher, each of the Five Gold Reads represents an iconic moment in Virago's history, from the 1970s to today.

'Sexuality is power' - so says the Marquis de Sade, philosopher and pornographer extraordinaire. His virtuous Justine keeps to the rules laid down by men, her reward rape and humiliation; his Juliette, Justine's triumphantly monstrous antithesis, viciously exploits her sexuality. In a world where all tenderness is false, all beds are minefields.

But now Sade has met his match.

With invention and genius, Angela Carter takes on these outrageous figments of his extreme imagination, and transforms them into symbols of our time - the Hollywood sex goddesses, mothers and daughters, pornography, even the sacred shrines of sex and marriage lie devastatingly exposed before our eyes. Angela Carter delves into the viscera of our distorted sexuality and reveals a dazzling vision of love which admits neither of conqueror nor of conquered.

Series: Virago Modern Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its intellectual relish and witty tone, The Sadeian Woman stands out as bold, refined, and subversive. Critics celebrate Carter’s writing as funny, sexy, frightening and brutal, marked by a luxuriant style and fearless challenge to traditional boundaries. It is regarded as a significant feminist work that blurs rules and provokes thought.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780349017419

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 June 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Virago Press Ltd

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 180g

Pages: 192

About the Author

One of Britain's most original writers, Angela Carter was highly lauded for her novels, short stories and journalism. She died in February 1992.

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