The Sadeian Woman: An Exercise in Cultural History

“The personal and the political is a theme that runs through all of these books, and this is exactly what Angela Carter was writing about, back in the 70s, in The Sadeian Woman. It’s partly polemic about pornography and prostitution, it’s partly literary history and history about the Marquis de Sade and his writings. She’s really exploring whether you can have sex that is divorced from politics and history and the power dynamics around you. People are still talking about that all the time, and I think that dilemma—that tension between the personal and political—is always central to feminism. This book was written long before the internet existed, but because of the widespread availability of pornography online, it’s absolutely fascinating to read now. It feels so resonant.” Read more...

The Best Feminist Books: 50 Years of Virago Press

Sarah Savitt, Publisher

“Carter is a fascinating writer in all sorts of ways. She was one of the first English writers to engage with Sade—who was a banned author in England at the time she was writing because of the moral panic that followed the Moors Murders (when it transpired that Ian Brady had read Sade’s Justine). It’s also a time when second wave feminism is starting to exert its influence on Anglo-American culture, and in fact Sade becomes a highly contested figure within feminism at this time.” Read more...

The best books on The Marquis de Sade

Will McMorran, Literary Scholar